Research Activities at UD
Established in 1980, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) at the University of Delaware is a leading institution for graduate education, research, and advocacy in developing policy that addresses the intersection of the energy and environmental fields. Much of the Center's research is employed to address both theoretical and policy-relevant issues in order to widen public discourse and action on the key interrelated energy, environmental and social issues of our time.
Professor John Byrne is Director of the CEEP and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the University of Delaware. Professor Byrne is an international expert in the area of environmental and energy policy and has conducted research in sustainable energy systems, climate change, and the social and environmental implications of significant changes in the world energy system.
Of particular relevance to the Energy Institute is the Energy Sustainability Program of the CEEP which is involved in the development of policy options addressing the full range of challenges posed by our energy-dominated society. Research topics address sustainable energy development, prospects for wide-scale use of solar, wind, and hydrogen energy technologies, community-scale energy planning, electricity planning and policy issues, and the potential for energy conservation and efficiency in reducing dependency on conventional energy sources.
Another program at CEEP with direct relevance to the Energy Institute is the Global Environments Program which addresses problems that require an international response because they have global causes. The most notable of these issues in terms of energy is climate change. The Center is active in studying the role of energy in climate change and in developing climate change policy.
CEEP is only center in the country to have a graduate master's (MEEP) and doctoral (PhD-ENEP) program in energy and environmental policy. The Center offers courses addressing a full range of energy challenges from policy designs for energy sustainability to international dimensions of energy-environment-society relations, with specialty courses in electricity policy and planning, renewable energy technology, energy economics, energy and sustainable development, and political economy of energy.
UD Center for Fuel Cell Research
The Center for Fuel Cell Research (CFCR) at the University of Delaware was formed to improve understanding of fuel cell processes by facilitating coordination amongst the approximately 20 UD faculty members working in this area. The CFCR also encourages interactions and collaborations with industries involved in fuel cells and hydrogen infrastructure activities. The CFCR is housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Professor Ajay Prasad serves as Director of the Center for Fuel Cell Research. Professor Prasad joined the mechanical engineering faculty at the University of Delaware in 1992 and was promoted to full professor in 2005. He has held various research professor and visiting scientist positions in the Netherlands and India.
Fuel cells offer the potential to overcome some of the major concerns relating to our current energy activities including dependence on petroleum imports, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, research in this area is directly related to the concerns of the Energy Institute.
The research conducted at the CFCR includes transport phenomena, water management, materials characterization, durability and development of novel catalysts, membranes, gas diffusion layers and reactant flow fields, for automotive and portable electronics applications. Research is also underway exploring renewable methods to generate hydrogen using solar-powered thermochemical cycles.
The University of Delaware is also home to the UD Fuel Cell Bus Program which is involved with developing a fuel cell powered transit vehicle. Professor Prasad serves as Director of this program and leads a consortium that conducts research, development and demonstration of fuel cell buses in Delaware. His course Introduction to Fuel Cells is popular with seniors, graduate students, and outreach students.
Professor Prasad's research also involves other clean energy technologies including wind and ocean current energy and vehicle to grid technology. He is also interested in energy efficient homes and businesses and has taught a course on Energy Efficient Solar Powered Homes. He serves on the University Sustainability Task Force, and the City of Newark's Conservation Advisory Committee.
The Institute for Energy Conversion (IEC) at the University of Delaware has been involved in the development of thin film photovoltaic technology for over 35 years and was designated as a Department of Energy Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education in 1992. The mission of IEC is to develop fundamental science and engineering to improve PV device performance, develop processing technologies, and effectively transfer these laboratory results to large-scale manufacturing.
Professor Robert Birkmire serves as Director of the IEC. Professor Birkmire is an international expert in thin film photovoltaic technologies and has conducted extensive research in the growth and characterization of thin film semiconductors and devices for photovoltaic applications.
The goals of the IEC are addressed by a multi-disciplinary research team consisting of permanent professional and technical staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, post doctoral fellows and visiting scholars. The IEC also maintains strong collaboration with national laboratories, industry and universities. The research programs are supported by the U.S. Government, the photovoltaic industry, and the University of Delaware. Specific research activities include:
- Deposition of semiconductor, metallic and oxide thin films
- Electrical, optical and structural characterization of films
- Development and optimization of device fabrication processes
- Optical, electrical and materials characterization of thin film devices
- Design, construction and operation of experimental systems
- Chemical reaction and reactor analysis as it applies to thin film processing
The following solar cell materials systems are the focus of the current research program:
- cadmium-telluride based solar cells
- copper-indium-diselenide based solar cells
- Silicon-based solar cells (crystalline & amorphous silicon)
- Process diagnostics and on-line sensors
- Flexible solar cells, hybrid designs and tandem solar cells
There are over 20 thin film deposition systems including sputtering, electron-beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, both plasma and hot wire CVD, electrodeposition, and vapor transport deposition. IEC's facilities for solar cell device characterization include J-V, spectral response, capacitance, optical beam induced current mapping, and a Sinton lifetime tester. Additionally, IEC has access and supports the TEM and Raman spectroscopy facilities on main campus.
The Center for Catalytic Science and Technology
The Center for Catalytic Science and Technology (CCST) was founded at the University of Delaware in 1978. The Center has pioneered multidisciplinary research in the scientific and engineering principles of catalysis, the process by which the rate and products of chemical reactions are altered by a substance, which remains unchanged by reaction. It has been estimated that catalysis-based processes represent 90% of current chemical processes and generate 60% of today's chemical products. Thus, innovations and improvements in such processes can yield significant energy savings and environmental benefits. The center encompasses a number of research programs that target development of catalysts and process for alternative and renewable fuels, and improvement of commercial processes.
Professor Dion Vlachos is the director of the CCST. The center includes twelve faculty members among three departments.
The main energy-related areas of research of the CCST are:
- Catalysis and reaction engineering for biofuels and renewables
- Reforming of biomass based chemicals (e.g., oxygenates, including alcohols, glycol, and glycerol) and hydrocarbons
- Reaction mechanisms for fuel and biofuel processing
- Advanced synthesis and characterization of catalytic materials for energy research
- Hydrogen technologies
- Production
- Storage
- Membrane science and technology
- Oxides (e.g., zeolites), metal films
- Selectivity
- Partial oxidation, hydrogenation,
- Process intensification
- Microchemical systems, energy management
- Alternative fuels (e.g., NH3 cracking)
- Fuel cells
- Photoelectrochemical cells
Examples of specific energy-related research include:
- Hydrogen production from alternative, high hydrogen density fuels
Research, led by Profs. Vlachos, Buttrey and Lauterbach, explores the development of novel catalysts and processes for the decomposition of ammonia into hydrogen. Ammonia is the largest produced chemical in the US and has one of the highest mass-based hydrogen densities among all fuels. Its decomposition enables production of relatively pure hydrogen streams that can be fed in PEM fuel cells. The UD team explores novel catalysts (e.g., oxides) and processes (millisecond chemistry in multifunctional, highly intensified reactors) that will enable the chemistry to take place at low temperatures with minimal energy requirements and environmental footprint.
- Catalysis and reaction engineering for biofuels and renewables
Thermochemical transformation of cellulosic-based biomass and recyclable oils (e.g., biodiesel) into fuels or valuable chemicals (e.g., oxygenates, including alcohols, glycol, glycerol, and hydrocarbons) can exhibit higher speeds and lower cost than some of their enzymatic counterparts. However, the realization of biorenewables requires the development of robust and lasting processes and catalysts. Research at CCST by Profs. Barteau, Chen, and Vlachos focus on developing suitable technologies, improved catalysts, and understanding the reaction mechanisms in such transformations. Reforming and partial oxidation of glycerol is just one example. Systems integration and exploration of process alternatives is another.
- Fuel cells
Currently, hydrogen fuel cells use pure platinum or platinum/ruthenium (Pt/Ru) as the anode electrocatalyst. This electrocatalyst has two main disadvantages: high cost and susceptibility to poisoning by carbon monoxide (CO). In order for fuel cells to gain widespread use, there is a need to reduce their cost while enhancing their stability. Researchers at UD led by Prof. Chen have been researching less expensive and more stable alternatives to replace platinum catalysts.
Tungsten carbides are probably the only feasible alternative material. Transition metal carbides (TMC) often demonstrate catalytic advantages in activity, selectivity, and resistance to poisoning. Research in this area at CCST involves the following parallel steps: (1) Mechanistic studies of the reactions of hydrogen, methanol, water and CO on well-characterized carbide and Pt/Ru single surfaces under UHV conditions. (2) Using the surface science results as guidance to synthesize PVD and CVD films of carbide films with desirable structures. (3) Evaluation of the PVD/CVD carbide films using electrochemical testing and spectroscopic techniques. We are also utilizing similar research approaches to introduce the carbide fuel cell functionality on the surfaces of composite materials to synthesize multi-functional composites.
Another area of research involves studying the stability of Pt-3d bimetallic cathode electrocatalysts in hydrogen and methanol fuel cells. Current studies are aimed at a systematic understanding of the stability of other Pt-3d-Pt structures, and at finding ways to "anchor" the 3d metals to reduce the degree of segregation of 3d metals to the cathode surface. Research efforts include fundamental surface science studies on both single crystal surfaces and polycrystalline films, DFT modeling of thermodynamics and kinetics of bimetallic stability, and electrochemical evaluation under fuel cell operating conditions.
- Membrane science and technology
Materials and separations will play be an ever-increasing role in biorefineries. Research in CCST focuses on developing materials that can be used for catalytic transformations and separations via synthetic protocols and modeling. Examples include the synthesis and characterization of novel microporous and mesoporous materials (e.g., zeolites) and the development of thin films (e.g., Pd alloys, carbon, zeolites) for separations and membrane reactors. Research in this area is led by Profs. Lobo and Vlachos.
