Project description DEENESFRITPL Improving understanding of mass transport phenomena in fuel cells Electrochemical fuel cells that convert chemical energy into electricity on demand are a promising option to store and transport clean energy. Despite their high energy density, their power density is limited and inferior compared to that of batteries. Reactant and product transport set the maximum current density, determined by the interplay between the multiphase vapour and liquid flows. To further understand and extend this limit, a better way of controlling reactant and product transport within electrodes is necessary. The EU-funded ELECTRODE project aims to further our understanding of mass transport and produce a toolbox for designing electrode architectures that should improve next-generation energy conversion and storage systems. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective A promising option to store and transport clean energy are electrochemical fuels that can be converted to electricity on demand. Fuel cells, electrolysers and flow batteries are used for conversion to and from fuel and have advantages over batteries as storage capacity is cell size independent. Reactant and product transport set the maximum current density obtainable determined by the interplay between multiphase and opposing vapor and liquid flow. To understand this limit, a better way of controlling transport of reactant and products within electrodes is necessary. In particular, we need to (1) tune convection for distributing reactant concentration, (2) tailor the interplay between Knudsen and bulk diffusion, (3) tailor capillary forces to remove liquid products and (4) ensure fast reaction kinetics through reducing the reaction energy barrier. Electrode design is hence key, yet current architectures provide limited control over feature sizes, length scales and geometrical complexity, making the study of transport mechanisms tedious and controlled experiments difficult. We propose a radically new way of studying mass transport in electrodes via the direct conversion of multiscale computer designs into physical glassy carbon electrodes with desired surface functionality. We propose to (i) develop a photopolymer based AM process for tailored glassy carbon architectures with features ranging over multiple length scales, (ii) study the interplay between convective flow and diffusion throughout the electrode architecture, (ii) geometrically separate reactant and product transport, (iii) study and improve liquid product management and (iv) create catalytically active nitrogen doped carbon architectures potentially omitting the need for noble metal catalysts. ELECTRODE will improve our understanding of mass transport and arrive at a new toolbox for designing electrode architectures that may generate knowledge for next generation energy conversion and storage. Fields of science natural scienceschemical scienceselectrochemistryelectric batteriesengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energynatural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfuel cellsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsenergy conversion Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN Net EU contribution € 1 323 941,25 Address Arcisstrasse 21 80333 Muenchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 323 941,25 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN Germany Net EU contribution € 1 323 941,25 Address Arcisstrasse 21 80333 Muenchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 323 941,25 NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU Participation ended Norway Net EU contribution € 176 058,75 Address HOGSKOLERINGEN 1 7491 Trondheim See on map Region Norge Trøndelag Trøndelag Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 176 058,75
