Surface Modified Silica Nanoparticles as Solid Electrolytes for CO2 Electrolyzers
| dc.contributor.advisor | Verduzco, Rafael | en_US |
| dc.creator | Alazmi, Abdullah | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-09-23T18:28:36Z | en_US |
| dc.date.created | 2022-08 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-08-12 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | August 2022 | en_US |
| dc.date.updated | 2022-09-23T18:28:36Z | en_US |
| dc.description | EMBARGO NOTE: This item is embargoed until 2028-08-01 | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) enables the capture of CO2 and conversion into chemical species that can be utilized as chemical feedstocks in other industrial processes. The CO2RR is a challenging electrolytic reaction due to the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of the CO2 molecule. Driving this process requires an efficient CO2 electrolyzer with nanostructured catalysts to improve product selectivity. Although the decreasing cost of renewable energy has significantly improved the competitiveness of chemical feedstocks produced through such an electrolytic process, the liquid fuels and chemicals produced through CO2RR electrolysis are of low purity. In this regard, continuous optimization of both CO2 electrolyzer assembly parts are essential to enhance the catalytic performance of these devices. Achieving a CO2RR electrolyzer device that is highly efficient requires not only the selective and stable catalysts for CO2RR on the cathode and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the anode but also electrolyzer devices with sufficient mass transport and low Ohmic resistance. In this work, we present a new class of solid particle electrolytes for use in CO2 electrolyzers. This approach enables water to flow through the solid electrolyte layer while also transporting ions, mediated by the particle surface functionality. Using this approach, we are able to produce sulfonated silica nanoparticles with an ionic conductivity of 5.31 x 10-2 S cm-1, better than commercial particulate electrolytes. Our work details the synthesis and characterization of the particles, their use with a polymeric binding to improve stability, and their performance in a CO2 electrolyzer. This general approach provides a porous solid electrolyte layer capable of producing pure liquid products more efficiently than competing materials. | en_US |
| dc.embargo.lift | 2028-08-01 | en_US |
| dc.embargo.terms | 2028-08-01 | en_US |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Alazmi, Abdullah. "Surface Modified Silica Nanoparticles as Solid Electrolytes for CO2 Electrolyzers." (2022) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113290">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113290</a>. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1911/113290 | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Conductivity | en_US |
| dc.subject | nanoparticles | en_US |
| dc.subject | silica | en_US |
| dc.subject | electrolyzer | en_US |
| dc.subject | electrolyte | en_US |
| dc.subject | sulfonated | en_US |
| dc.title | Surface Modified Silica Nanoparticles as Solid Electrolytes for CO2 Electrolyzers | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.type.material | Text | en_US |
| thesis.degree.department | Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Engineering | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Rice University | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science | en_US |