{"84381":{"#nid":"84381","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Powering Fuel Cells: Oxide Materials May Facilitate Small-scale Hydrogen Production","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists have long known that oxides of the rare earth elements cerium (Ce), terbium (Tb), and praseodymium (Pr) can produce hydrogen from water vapor and methane in continuous \u0022inhale and exhale\u0022 cycles.  By doping iron atoms into the oxides, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have lowered the temperatures at which these \u0022oxygen pump\u0022 materials produce hydrogen, potentially allowing the process to be powered by solar energy.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis promising early-stage research was reported in the journal \u003Cem\u003EAdvanced Materials \u003C\/em\u003E15 (2003) pp 521-526.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This is a new approach for producing hydrogen that has several advantages compared to conventional production technology,\u0022 said Zhong L. Wang, a professor in Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.  \u0022For some applications, particularly those in the home, this could provide an alternative way to supply hydrogen for small-scale fuel cells.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETraditional reforming processes use metallic catalysts and temperatures in excess of 800 degrees Celsius to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbons such as methane.  While efficient in industrial-scale production, the traditional reforming process may not be ideal for the small-scale hydrogen production needed to power fuel cells in homes or vehicles.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy operating at lower temperatures, the oxide system being developed at Georgia Tech could provide a lower-cost alternative that uses less energy and less water to operate. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe system would take advantage of the oxides\u0027 unique crystalline structure, which allows as much as 20 percent of the oxygen atoms to leave the lattice without structural damage.  That would permit cycling oxygen atoms out of and back into the structure through a sequence of oxidation and reduction processes that both produce hydrogen, first from methane and then from water vapor.  By providing an oxygen supply, the oxide system could reduce the amount of water required for hydrogen production.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst, temperatures of 700 degree Celsius drive oxygen out of the material, where it oxidizes carbon in the methane to form carbon oxides and free hydrogen.  Temperatures as low as 375 degrees Celsius are then used to reduce water vapor, pulling oxygen from water to replenish the crystalline structure -- producing more hydrogen.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022By cycling the temperature back and forth in the presence of methane or water, you can continuously produce hydrogen,\u0022 Wang said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"A unique group of oxide materials that readily gives up and accepts oxygen atoms with changes in temperature could be the basis for a small-scale hydrogen production system able to power fuel cells in homes-and potentially in automotive applications.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2003-06-09 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:41","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2003-06-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2003-06-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/newsrelease\/oxygenpump.htm","title":"Operates at lower temperatures"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}