Synthesis of perovskite-ceria composites for solar-to-fuel conversion

Finding suitable replacements for fossil fuels is key to a more sustainable energy economy. This thesis investigated the effectiveness of novel composite materials made from previously researched state-of-the-art materials as catalysts in the thermochemical solar-to-fuel conversion process. Materials such as ceria and gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) have been determined to have excellent kinetics for this process but have a very high operating temperature. In contrast, perovskites have the advantage of a lower operating temperature but it comes at the expense of lower production rates. Composites containing ceria/GDC/YSZ and perovskite were synthesized to explore synergies that may result in improved performance as a catalyst for the fuel conversion process. Two of these perovskite-ceria composites, LSCF-GDC and LSCC-ceria, showed promise as materials that perform better than their respective individual components. Improved fuel production and oxygen release was observed with these composites in specific temperature regimes (1000-1100°C for oxidation, 1200°C for reduction).

Name thesis:degree_name

Bachelor

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Aggarwal, Neil, S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jennifer L. M. Rupp.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132907

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/132907