FUEL CELLS & TEM

By: Blue Group

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/03/honda-clarity-fcv-goes-on-sale-in-japan.html

What is a Fuel Cell and how does it work?● Chemical energy of hydrogen or another

fuel → electricity

● Clean energy - only products are

electricity, heat, and water

● Anode and cathode around an electrolyte

● Catalyst facilitates oxidation of the fuel

Graphic by Marc Marshall, Schatz Energy Research Center

http://americanhistory.si.edu/fuelcells/basics.htm

Anode Reaction: 2H2 + 2O2− → 2H2O + 4e−

Cathode Reaction: O2 + 4e− → 2O2−

Overall Cell Reaction: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2Ohttp://www.sciencecontrol.com/wp-

content/uploads/2011/09/Chemical-

Reactions.jpg

Catalysts and TEMsCatalysts

• Speed up reactions• High surface area to volume ratio• Platinum = surface catalyst

TEMs (Transmission Electron Microscopes)• Electron beam passes through object, making

resolution 1000x better than light microscopes• Can view objects a few nm across

Purdue University’s TEM

Problem Statement1) What happens to the power

output from the fuel cell when

different concentrations and

temperatures of ethanol

are used?

2) How does the power output from

using methanol in the fuel cell

differ from using ethanol?

Ethanol

Methanol

ExperimentFuel Cell

1) Connect fuel cell, tank, and drain tank2) Add fuel (ethanol)3) Voltage stops increasing - attach fan and record spin time4) Clean tanks - flush cell with deionized water5) Repeat process for other fuels

Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)1) Insert gold sample on magnesium oxide base into microscope2) Observe and acquire image3) Heat up to 500 degrees Celsius4) Observe

Results

1 2 3 4

Data Analysis● Higher concentration = longer lasting output

● Lower temperature = shorter lasting output

● Ethanol’s higher energy density = longer lasting output than methanol

Conclusions and Recommendations● Highest concentration, highest energy density, and room

temperature optimize performance

● TEM provides insight to structure of catalyst as well as its

response to temperature

● Recommendation: measure both current and voltage

Business• Becoming more commercially available -

will soon become profitable

• Used in transportation, portable power

generation, stationary power generation,

fuel and infrastructure

• Much cheaper than other fuels - ~$1

hydrogen / gallon of gas

• Obstacles: platinum, infrastructure,

money

• Recommendation: Make fuel cells cheaper

by replacing platinum as catalyst

Policies and Outlook• Harms environment through Pt mining

• Less CO2, SOX, NOX, and particulate

matter; non-toxic; abundant

• Clean emissions (only H2O)● U.S. Department of Energy

funding● Emergency Economic Stabilization

Act of 2008● Fuel Cell costs decreasing;

increased use in motor vehicles● U.S. ranked high in overall

research for fuel cells

Sources● Archambault, Éric and Grégoire Côté. “Fuel Cells Research in Canada and in Other Leading Countries.” Science-Metrix, n.d.

mmm Web. 23 June 2016.

● “A Basic Overview of Fuel Cells.” Smithsonian Institution of American History, 2008. Web. 21 June 2016.

● Badwal, Sukhvinder, Sarb Giddey, Aniruddha Kulkarni, Jyoti Goel, and Suddhasatwa Basu. “Direct ethanol fuel cells for

transport mmm and stationary applications – A comprehensive review.” Science Direct, 1 May 2015. Web. 20 June 2016.

● Berger, Michael. “Improved nanotechnology catalysts bring clean energy applications closer.” Nanowerk, 4 Dec 2009. Web. 21

mmm June 2016.

● Cartlidge, Edwin. “Fuel Cells: Environmental Friend or Foe?” Physics World, 13 June 2003. Web. 21 June 2016.

● “Codes and Standards.” Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.

● Gallios, William. “Fuel Cells: Environmental Benefits.” Sierra Club Green Home, 2010. Web. 20 June 2016.

● “How Does the Fuel Cell Work?” Battery University, 3 May 2016. Web. 20 June 2016.

● “How Do Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Work?” Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.

● Klose, Rainer. “Are Fuel Cells Environmentally Friendly or Not? Not Always!” Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science

mmm and Technology, 15 July 2015. Web. 20 June 2016.

● Kukreja, Rinkesh. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Hydrogen Energy.” Conserve Energy Future,

mmm n.d. Web. 21 June 2016.

● Miller, Ben. “Four Ways Government Can Support the Transition to Alternative Fuel Vehicles.” Government Technology, 1

March mmm 2016. Web. 23 June 2016.

● Rao, P. Nagaraju. “Nanocatalysis: Applications in the Chemical Industry.” Nanowerk, 5 Nov 2010. Web. 20 June 2016.

● “The Transmission Electron Microscope.” Nobel Prize, 2016. Web. 20 June 2016.

● Woodford, Chris. “Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Cogeneration.” Explain That Stuff, 15 April 2016. Web. 21 June 2016.

Special Thanks to…

Tej Choksi

Ravi Joshi

Chang Wan Han

Dr. Raj Gounder