Dr. Xiaobin Zhu [Dalian University of Technology]
Time: 10:00 am, March 13, 2014
Place: HPSTAR Meeting Room (Shanghai)
Title: Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Electrochemical Technologies for Environmental Energy Applications
Abstract:
State-of-the-art Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on decade-old PEM fuel cell technology, are limited by cost, performance, durability, reliability and operational flexibility [1]. In particular, three major issues need to be resolved: (1) less expensive and more efficient electrocatalysts, (2) proton conductive membrane independent on water and operating at high temperature, (3) pumpable liquid fuel allowing to employ the existing infrastructure [1] or practicable on-site hydrogen production. Ten years experienced R&D in fuel cell technologies with emphasis on polymer electrolyte, electrocatalyst, catalyst layer, and MEAs will be selectively presented.
The main challenge is the design of cheap and stable fuel cell catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction [3]. High activity low-loading dealloyed platinum-rich catalyst was developed, investigated, and implemented in MEAs. 3D non-Platinum Group Metal Catalyst, transition metal porphyrin complexes have been mounted in a three dimensional homogenous distribution inside the ionomer of catalyst layers in MEAs to achieve competitive fuel cell catalysis activity. The challenges for structural design of catalyst layer exist in component materials coupled the process of structural formation. Conventionally, it is considered that the formation of phase-segregated agglomerated morphologies is induced by self-organization of ionomer and Pt/C in collodial ink solution [3]. Introduction of in-situ polymerized functionalized siloxane monomer in the process of the catalyst layer formation was explored, which showed a unique honeycomb structure due to post polycondensation reaction.
Environmental catalysis applications are of interest on (1) formaldehyde removal through photocatalytic titania films and FeOx supported gold and g-Al2O3 supported Au catalystat room temperature [4], (2) oxidative reforming of biogas and syngas production through plamsa [5].
Bio. of Dr. Xiaobin Zhu
Dr. Xiaobin Zhu is Associate Professor of Dalian University of Technology. He got his Ph.D Degree in chemical engineering at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) (Chinese Academy of Sciences) in 2006. After graduation, he went abroad for further study as Postdoctoral Fellow from March, 2007 to September, 2012, successively working with Prof. Meilin Liu, Prof. Peter Strasser, and Dr. John B. Kerr at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Houston, and Environmental Energy Technologies Division in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory respectively. Then he moved to University of Houston and worked as Research Assistant Professor and PI until May, 2013. After that, he came back to China, and since July, 2013, he has been working and doing research as Associate Professor at Dalian University of Technology.
He has rich experiences in (1) fuel cell technologies with emphasis in electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, synthetic polymer chemistry, proton conductive membrane (PEM), electrode structure development, and MEAs, and (2) environmental catalysis. Up to now, Dr. Zhu has published 31 journal papers, 1 book chapter and 25 conference papers, and applied for 14 patents (including 2 granted USA and 4 granted Chinese patents, and 1 USA, 2 Japanese and 5 Chinese pending patents). Besides that, he has participated and accomplished 4 industrial projects (collaboration with GM, Toyota, GE), 1 international project (Sino-Germany) and 2 government project (DOE, NSF of China).