Grace Thompson
Pronouns: she/they
Research Mentor(s): Aarti Mathur
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Chemical Engineering / Engineering
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 5 – 3:40pm – 4:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 1
Abstract
More than 70 million tons of hydrogen fuel are needed annually for various industrial processes, however 99% of this hydrogen is produced by coal and natural gas which are nonrenewable sources of greenhouse gasses. With increasing demands in energy and a desire to mitigate impacts of climate change, researching renewable and sustainable energy sources has become more valuable. One source of interest is solar energy, due to its decentralization and inexhaustibility. Solar energy can be reliably converted into hydrogen fuel through water splitting in a photoelectrochemical cell. The photocatalytic decomposition of water into hydrogen fuel and oxygen provides a sustainable method of storing solar energy that can be used in fuel cells to provide grid-scale power without releasing pollutants. However, there are currently no commercially practicable methods due to low efficiencies and poor stability. Therefore, we will be conducting experiments to test different catalyst materials and electrodeposition parameters for solar water splitting. We will be testing numerous fabricated samples of metal in a solar light simulator, changing parameters of time, potential, and solution concentration to see how these different conditions affect the stability of the nanoparticles. From our findings, we will hopefully be able to create more efficient means of producing and storing hydrogen fuel, alleviate effects of climate change, and provide national energy security.
