Stanford University’s Battery (Super) Power


Professor Yi Cui, the Fortinet Founders Professor of Materials Science and Engineering,

Yi Cui is harnessing the power of nanoscience to grow extremely small structures—which play a huge role in the clean energy transition

In a wrestling match between a pygmy mouse lemur and a gorilla, intuition suggests the larger primate would win. The notion that size equals strength also finds resonance in science fiction, depicted in works like the 1956 novel The Shrinking Man and the 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, both exploring how terrifying the world would be if humans were suddenly smaller than ants.

Nanoscience turns this convention on its head: As materials decrease in size to the nanoscale, they can actually exhibit increased strength. How large is one nanometer? One billionth of a meter, or roughly how much your fingernails grow in one second. The thickness of a single sheet of paper measures a staggering 100,000 nanometers.

Yi Cui, the Fortinet Founders Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has dedicated nearly two decades to unlocking nanoscience’s potential to revolutionize a pivotal aspect of the clean energy transition: battery storage.

An illustration with Yi Cui and elements from his work
Yi Cui works at the intersection of nanotechnology, clean energy, and battery science.

While lithium-ion batteries are commonly associated with portable devices—cell phones, pacemakers—demand for energy-dense batteries is growing in the world of decarbonization. The transition to electric cars and planes, critical for reducing fossil fuel dependence, hinges on developing powerful batteries. And as more households and businesses adopt solar power, there’s an escalating need for large, energy-dense batteries capable of storing excess power for use overnight or during adverse weather conditions.

Unlike fuel cells—another frontrunner in the clean energy transition—batteries offer the advantage of leveraging the existing electricity infrastructure. But they also present challenges, namely safety and cost. Any viable battery solution must withstand all possible temperature conditions and be inexpensive enough for widespread adoption. 

Enter nanoscience. The physical and chemical properties of materials can change dramatically at the nanoscale, driven in part by quantum mechanics and a greater surface area-to-volume ratio. For instance, while carbon at the macroscale could constitute, say, the snappable graphite in your pencil, carbon at the nanoscale is stronger than steel. Likewise, aluminum, which is stable in bulk, becomes combustible at the nanoscale. For Yi Cui, such radical changes at the nanoscale open up a path for groundbreaking innovation in battery technology.

Most batteries consist of positively and negatively charged conductors—an anode and cathode, respectively—suspended in an electrolyte. As ions move between the anode and the cathode, energy discharges, generating power. 

Silicon has long been attractive as a potential anode because it has greater energy density and costs much less than the graphite anodes predominantly used in lithium-ion batteries. However, silicon’s volume increases 400 percent when lithium is inserted and extracted, destroying the battery. 

Cui’s creative solution? Making the materials smaller. He used a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process to grow silicon nanowires, which involves exposing metal nanoparticle catalysts to silicon gas at temperatures from 400-500 degrees Celsius, dissolving silicon into nanoparticles until liquid droplets form. 

“You keep adding silicon atoms to this droplet, and it will super-saturate and precipitate out in a solid silicon nanowire shape,” Cui says. “It’s a really beautiful, elegant mechanism to make these wires.” 

These new silicon nanowire electrodes could take significant strain without the rapid degradation that occurs to silicon in bulk, allowing for many cycles of charging and discharging. Since silicon stores 10 times more lithium than graphite as an anode, this allows for nearly double the amount of energy in a full-size battery. 

Cui published these findings in a landmark paper in 2008. In addition to showing it was possible to create a lithium-ion battery with a pure silicon anode, the paper effectively pioneered the field of nanoscience for energy storage.

Chasing the “holy grail” of energy storage

According to Cui, lithium metal batteries are the “holy grail” of battery research. They are the primary focus for the Battery500 Consortium, a group of researchers from national labs, academia, and industry that aims to increase the energy of batteries, allow for more charge/discharge cycles, and reduce battery cost—all crucial for achieving the Department of Energy’s goals for carbon-neutral energy and electrification. Cui, co-director of Battery500, says lithium metal offers even greater capacity than lithium-ion batteries with a silicon anode. 

Cui spent years searching for an imaging tool that could offer insight into lithium metal and other battery materials. Since electron beams from electron microscopes destroy lithium metal, observing key features at the atomic scale was impossible. In particular, Cui wanted to examine lithium metal’s solid electrolyte interphase—a layer of material that forms between the anode and the liquid electrolyte.

When he was a postdoctoral scholar at Berkeley, Cui learned about cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a technology developed by structural biologists to study biomolecules such as proteins, but the spatial resolution was far from what was needed to investigate lithium metal. Ten years later, he realized that advances in cryo-EM technology could potentially revolutionize battery research. 

Cui’s willingness to consider outside-the-box and outside-the-discipline approaches paid off. It took his lab only four months to develop a cryo-EM technique to image lithium metal. By cooling the material down to the temperature of liquid nitrogen, Cui was able to capture the first-ever images of lithium metal and its solid electrolyte interphase at the atomic scale. This high-resolution imaging shed light on the nature of lithium dendrites, which cause lithium metal batteries to short-circuit, even allowing Cui to measure the distance between atoms (a seventh of a nanometer). 

“No one could believe it at the beginning!” laughs Cui, remembering how hard it was to convince peer reviewers for Science that these really were images of lithium metal. 

“When I can’t find the solution, I just let the problem hang there. Then, I’ll think about it again a week or months later. And this can go on for decades,” says Cui. “But I do have an example where, a decade later, I finally figured it out.”

“

WHEN I CAN’T FIND THE SOLUTIONS, I JUST LET THE PROBLEM HANG THERE.

Then, I’ll think about it again a week or months later. And this can go on for decades. But I do have an example where, a decade later, I finally figured it out.”

Yi Cui

A gloved hand holds up a battery prototype

A battery prototype in Cui’s lab.

With the most challenging problems, Cui is willing to persevere and even enjoys doing so—a vital quality for a scientist confronting climate change. 

“Of course, many people feel scared because the problem is so huge they worry there is no solution, and they become pessimistic,” he reflects. “I’m optimistic because I believe we will be able to find the solutions.”

Sustaining Life + Accelerating Solutions

Sustaining Life + Accelerating Solutions: The impact

Why it matters

Safe, inexpensive batteries with high energy density are essential to transition to clean energy. Cui’s research could help combat climate change by storing wind and solar energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and meeting pivotal sustainability goals.

What’s next

In addition to his lab’s ongoing research, Cui will leverage his experience as an entrepreneur as the new director of Stanford’s Sustainability Accelerator, which aims to drive the translation of technology and policy solutions to the real world.

Why Stanford

Before Cui completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Berkeley, he had received about a dozen tenure-track job offers. Still, he knew he wanted to go to Stanford after his first interview on campus. He recognized the school’s unique, collaborative environment and its vital relationship to industry.

The Impact of Nanotech Innovation and Funding – $3.78 Billion in 2022


In investments, the convergence of financial gains with positive societal impact has given rise to impact investing. This approach is gaining traction in nanotechnology, a sector with the potential to yield profits and tackle global challenges through groundbreaking innovations.

Nanotechnology, involving manipulating matter at the nanoscale, opens up possibilities across diverse industries. Its applications, ranging from healthcare advancements to revolutionary clean energy solutions, position nanotech as a catalyst for transformative change.

The nanotechnology market further emphasises the escalating significance and potential within the broader landscape of investments, which has already attained a valuation of USD 3.78 billion in 2022. Projections indicate a trajectory of substantial growth, with forecasts envisioning a global market size soaring to USD 74.1 billion by 2032. This trajectory underscores the undeniable impact of nanotechnology and its pivotal role in shaping the future of investments.

This trajectory underscores the undeniable impact of nanotechnology and its pivotal role in shaping the future of investments.

Case Studies in Impact

OCSiAl Group

OCSiAl Group is a pioneering startup based in Luxembourg. Established in 2009 by founders Mikhail Predtechenskiy, Oleg Kirillov, Yuriy Zelvenskiy, and Yury Koropachinskiy, OCSiAl Group has become the first business to develop a low-cost, infinitely scalable process for the mass manufacture of graphene nanotubes.

With its headquarters located in Luxembourg City, the company has grown significantly, employing between 251 to 500 individuals. OCSiAl Group’s remarkable journey has been fueled by substantial funding, totalling $176,000,000 across 13 funding rounds, with support from four key investors: RUSNANO, ExpoCapital, A&NN Investments, and Igor Kim. This robust financial backing has enabled OCSiAl Group to drive innovation in nanotechnology, demonstrating the transformative potential of impact investing in propelling groundbreaking technologies forward while delivering tangible returns to investors.

NAWA Technologies

NAWA Technologies, a French SME, stands out for its innovative Ultra-Fast Carbon battery. Founded in 2013 by Ludovic Eveillard and Pascal Boulanger, the startup is based in Rousset, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur. With a modest-sized team of 11-50 employees, NAWA Technologies has attracted substantial funding amounting to €24,500,000 through three funding rounds.

Noteworthy investors supporting NAWA Technologies include Bpifrance, InnoEnergy, Demeter, Supernova Invest, and CEA Investissement. This financial backing has been instrumental in propelling the development of their Ultra-Fast Carbon battery, showcasing the potential impact of targeted investments in nanotechnology for sustainable energy solutions.

Agnikul

Agnikul, a space technology company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, has carved a niche, focusing on designing, building, testing, and launching orbital-class rockets tailored for micro and nanosatellites. Established in 2017 by founders Moin SPM, Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, and Srinath Ravichandran, Agnikul has rapidly grown its team to include 51-100 employees.

The company has secured $14,543,144 through four funding rounds, drawing support from an impressive roster of 17 investors, including LetsVenture, Pi Ventures, BEENEXT, Mayfield Fund, and Naval Ravikant. Agnikul’s journey exemplifies the impact of strategic investments in space technology, paving the way for advancements in satellite deployment and contributing to the growing field of space exploration.

While the promise of impact investing in nanotech is undeniable, challenges such as regulatory uncertainties and ethical considerations must be navigated. However, these challenges also present opportunities for investors to actively shape ethical and regulatory frameworks, ensuring responsible and sustainable technological advancements.

Conclusion

Impact investing in nanotechnology catalyzes positive societal change and transformative advancements. Illustrated through success stories like OCSiAl Group, NAWA Technologies, and Agnikul, strategic investments drive financial returns and foster groundbreaking innovations with far-reaching benefits. From scalable graphene nanotube production to sustainable energy solutions and space exploration, these investments showcase the significant positive impacts that can be achieved. As the nanotechnology market continues its impressive growth trajectory, impact investors are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping a future where technological advancements address global challenges while contributing to a more sustainable and prosperous world.

Re-Posted: Arnold Kristoff – Nano Magazine

Rice University’s Pioneering Research in Boron Nitride Nanotubes – Potential to fundamentally transform a multitude of industries – Hydrogen Storage and Spacecraft Manufacturing Among Them


Researchers at Rice University, under the guidance of Professor Angel Martí, have made a significant breakthrough in the field of material science by developing a novel method to create high-purity boron nitride nanotubes.

These nanotubes, cylindrical in shape and hollow, boast remarkable properties such as the ability to endure temperatures up to 900°C (approximately 1,652°F) and surpassing steel in strength-to-weight ratio. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize various industries, including spacecraft manufacturing, biomedical imaging, and hydrogen storage applications.

Led by doctoral student Kevin Shumard and recently published in Chemistry of Materials, details the process of eliminating persistent impurities from boron nitride nanotubes. This purification is achieved using phosphoric acid, coupled with precise adjustments to the reaction process.

Shumard, elaborating on the importance of this development, states, “The challenge is that during the synthesis of the material, in addition to tubes, we end up with a lot of extra stuff. As scientists, we want to work with the purest material we can so that we limit variables as we experiment. This work gets us one step closer to making materials with a potential to revamp whole industries when used as additives to metals or ceramic composites to make those even stronger.”

The impurities in question are boron nitride cages, sphere-shaped structures that encase boron particles, typically degrading the quality and functionality of the nanotubes. This issue led the Rice researchers to explore the use of phosphoric acid, inspired by a 2013 study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society that identified the acid as a boron nitride wetting agent. Professor Martí shared his initial expectations, saying, “We didn’t expect a reaction.” However, the team observed an unexpected outcome when the mixture was heated, leading to the discovery of pyramids instead of tubes and cages.

Realizing that high temperatures and acid concentrations were detrimental to boron nitride, the team revised their approach. They sought to fine-tune the reaction to eliminate only the undesirable structures. This led to a novel purification method for nanotubes, which Shumard describes as a significant step forward, noting, “The material that we can make is by far the purest tubes that I have seen when compared to others.”

The team’s future goal is to enhance the yield of this reaction to produce sufficient quantities of nanotubes for creating fibers. These fibers could potentially serve as a more sustainable alternative to steel, contributing to the development of superior building materials. Shumard emphasizes the sustainability aspect, stating, “Nitrogen makes up 70% of our atmosphere, and boron is highly abundant in rocks. This work could be a stepping stone to much better building materials both in terms of strength and in terms of sustainability.”

Boron nitride nanotubes share similarities with carbon nanotubes in structure and properties such as tensile strength and thermal conductivity. However, they offer greater resilience, and their properties are often complementary to those of carbon nanotubes. While carbon nanotubes can function as electrical conductors or semiconductors, boron nitride nanotubes are insulators.

Martí highlights the potential of this research, stating, “The science on boron nitride nanotubes is not as well developed as the science on carbon nanotubes—a gap we were hoping to address in our research because we think the ability to produce pure boron nitride nanotubes efficiently and reliably could be important for a wide range of industries.”

This innovative achievement by the Rice University researchers not only paves the way for stronger, more heat-resistant materials but also exemplifies the power of scientific inquiry and experimentation in overcoming challenges and advancing technology. Their work stands as a beacon of progress in material science, potentially ushering in a new era of sustainable and high-performance materials that could fundamentally transform a multitude of industries.

Advancing Cancer Treatment with Metal-free Graphene Quantum Dot ‘Nanozymes’ – “Proving to be Highly Effective for Tumor Therapy”


A research group led by Prof. WANG Hui from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced a metal-free nanozyme based on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for highly efficient tumor chemo dynamic therapy (CDT).

The study was published in Matter.

GQDs represent a promising and cost-effective means of addressing the toxicity concerns associated with metal-based nanozymes in tumor CDT. However, the limited catalytic activity of GQDs has posed significant challenges for their clinical application, particularly under challenging catalytic conditions.

Graphene quantum dots, emerging as a safer and more effective alternative to traditional metal-based nanozymes, address significant toxicity concerns in tumor CDT. However, until now, their clinical application has been limited due to their relatively low catalytic activity under challenging conditions. This has been a significant hurdle in leveraging their full potential in cancer treatment.

“The new GQDs, which are made from red blood cell membranes, are highly effective in treating tumors with few side effects,” said LIU Hongji, a member of the research team. “One of the advantages is that they are metal-free. In addition, they function as excellent peroxidase-like biocatalysts.”

To enhance the catalytic performance of the GQD-based nanocatalytic adjuvant, the researchers rationally designed GQDs using a diatomic doping strategy. The synergistic electron effect of introducing nitrogen and phosphorus into GQDs can generate highly localized states near the Fermi level, thus enabling efficient enzymatic activity compared to single heteroatom doping.

The obtained GQDs, derived from erythrocyte membranes, have been shown to possess impressive peroxidase-mimicking activity. As a result, the GQDs are highly effective at inducing apoptosis and ferroptosis of cancer cells in vitro. They also selectively target tumors, with a tumor inhibition rate as high as 77.71% for intravenous injection and 93.22% for intertumoral injection, with no off-target side effects.

This drug-free, target-specific, and biologically benign nanozyme has great potential as a potent biocatalyst for use in safe cancer treatment.

Schematic illustration showing the role of GQDs, derived from erythrocyte membranes, as peroxidase–mimic enzyme for tumor catalytic therapy. (Image by LIU Hongji)

Copyright © 2024 Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, CAS All Rights Reserved

‘First of its kind’ | US firm unveils hydrogen-battery hybrid car with range of over 1,000 Km


A US start-up is now taking pre-orders for a plug-in hybrid passenger vehicle that runs using both a hydrogen fuel-cell and a battery, which it claims has a range of 700 miles (1,127km).

Virginia-based Revo Zevo’s “model Energy” uses a battery as the primary power source, with the hydrogen fuel cell kicking in to power the vehicle and thereby extend its range.

“This allows the vehicle to keep the battery charged while driving,” Revo Vevo says on its promotional material.

“Effectively, it is like having an on-board charger that runs when the car is running, allowing for a range of 700 miles.”

Plug-in hybrids available on the market today usually use a fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engine to back-up the on-board battery. But Revo Zero’s “first of its kind pFC technology” uses hydrogen instead, via an integrated unit containing the fuel cell, made by US specialist Nuvera, and battery.

Refueling with hydrogen can take as little as seven minutes, the company claims.

However, critics have argued that H2 is prohibitively inefficient and expensive for use in passenger cars, although most analysis has focused on vehicles powered solely by H2 in fuel cells or internal combustion engines.

And What is the Downside?

Hydrogen Insight found recently that it is 14 times more expensive to drive a vehicle powered solely by hydrogen than a Tesla equivalent in California. Additionally, owners of hydrogen-powered cars in the US have been blighted by scarcity of H2 supply and sky-high prices over the past year.

Are those current downsides a ‘deal killer’? Opinions will come down on both sides of that debate. However it bears reminding ourselves, theses are still Early-Stage Technology Adoptions being scaled to meet large markets. The Wright Brothers did not immediately bring a Concord-Super Liner (or Boeing’s New 777x) to Market for that matter!

Revo Zero is now taking fully-refundable $500 deposits on the limited run of model Energy vehicles, but has not yet said when they will become available or how much each unit will cost.

“Although the final date is still to be determined, we are working diligently on testing and complying with all safety regulations,” Revo Zero promises on its website. “Once you submit a pre-order, you will receive a notification when the vehicle is ready, and the final pricing is established.”

Details of where the company plans to produce the vehicles are still in the planning. negotiation stage, although it recently named the Massachusetts city of Holyoke as its north-east “hub”.

Several hydrogen vehicle manufacturers, such as Nikola and Hyzon, have retrofitted and rebranded their technology to existing models, which significantly reduces the manufacturing requirements. As an aside, the model Energy bears a marked resemblance to the Jaguar Range Rover.

Launched in 2021, Revo Zero has positioned itself as a technology company — a producer of hydrogen and refueling infrastructure, as well as a developer of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs). The company is planning to develop a network of hydrogen refueling stations.

“Revo’s evo story” is To Be Continued …

Green Hydrogen with a Green Ammonia “Twist” + $4 BILLION USD in Investment Support Solidifies Path to both Large and Small GH Commercialization


Image: Green ammonia production from green hydrogen courtesy of World Economic Forum.

The debate over green hydrogen continues, but the flow, the deluge of BILLIONS of DOLLARS into new and larger GH projects, solidifies the path to Commercialization for both large and small applications.

In the latest news, the Saudi-listed desalination powerhouse ACWA Power has just added another notch in its green hydrogen belt, aimed at scaling up to produce 2 million metric tonnes per year of…green ammonia?!?

From Green Hydrogen To Green Ammonia

Green hydrogen is an emerging player on the global energy and chemical stage, mainly produced from water in electrolysis systems. To complete the green circle, the electrolyzers run on renewable energy.

Other renewable resources for hydrogen include biomass and wastewater, but for now most of the investor dollars are flowing into water electrolysis (see lots more CleanTechnica coverage here).

Criticism regarding the use of hydrogen often surfaces in relation to fuel cell electric vehicles.

However, transportation is just the tip of the hydrogen iceberg. Hydrogen is a ubiquitous element that greases the gears of modern industrialized economies and the global food supply, too.

In terms of transitioning out of fossil fuels, hydrogen has a big target on its back because almost all of the global hydrogen supply is extracted from natural gas, with coal filling in the rest. Cleaning up the supply chain would not just help decarbonize fuel cell vehicles.

It would also carve a big chunk of carbon out of the food processing and chemical industries among others, including ammonia fertilizer.

The US Energy Information Agency also points out that hydrogen is active in the energy storage and biodiesel industries as well as fossil fuel refining.

The ammonia fertilizer angle is especially interesting because ammonia — chemical symbol NH3 — is mostly made of hydrogen.

Sourcing ambient nitrogen from the air completes the sustainability picture. There is also talk of using ammonia as a transportation medium for hydrogen, though the challenge is to retrieve the hydrogen at the destination point.

Green Hydrogen: The Big Picture

Green hydrogen is an important factor in the Biden administration’s decarbonization efforts, and other nations are also racing ahead with supersized projects.

That brings us to Egypt, where ACWA Power has just announced the latest addition to its hydrogen portfolio. Said to be worth more than $4 billion USD, the new green hydrogen project aims at a potential output of 2 million tonnes of green ammonia per year.

The new project will begin with a Phase I step of 600,000 tonnes per year, building on an MOU signed last year between ACWA and four Egyptian stakeholder entities:

◦ the Sovereign Fund of Egypt,

◦ the Suez Canal Economic Zone,

◦ the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, and the

◦ New and Renewable Energy Authority.

Other large-scale green hydrogen projects under the ACWA umbrella include the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia, expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes of green ammonia yearly, along with projects in the pipeline for Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Indonesia.

The Small Picture

All these big numbers are impressive, but fans of green hydrogen are also excited about the potential for green hydrogen to be produced at much smaller scales, taking advantage of distributed renewable energy resources.

In particular, the US Department of Energy has been pitching wind turbines to US farmers.

Looking forward a step or two, farmers that don’t particularly need a lot of electricity could still squeeze some value out of a wind turbine by using it to run a small-scale electrolyzer.

Depending on the farmer’s needs, green hydrogen from the electrolysis system could be used for fuel or ammonia fertilizer on site, or it could be sold as a new revenue stream.

The wheels are already in motion for small scale, decentralized hydrogen production, thanks in part to fuel cell vehicle stakeholders.

Toyota is one example, having launched a project to introduce small-scale hydrogen production systems at 7-11 stores in Japan.

Here in the US, the company IVYS has developed a modular electrolyzer that fits in a parking space. In an interesting twist, the Extreme E racing circuit has also deployed electrolysis systems to power off-grid EV charging stations.

The Transportation Connection

Circling back around to the transportation question for green hydrogen, that’s a good question. Small-scale electrolysis systems for on-site hydrogen use are part of the transportation solution.

Green hydrogen stakeholders are also eager to leverage existing gas pipelines for large-scale hydrogen distribution.

Green ammonia is also under consideration, because it is more economical and efficient to transport than hydrogen alone.

Once the ammonia reaches its destination, though, separating out the hydrogen adds cost and complexity to the endeavor.

      Colorado School of Mines, Golden Colorado

Because science loves a challenge, solutions are already beginning to emerge. Among those hammering away at the problem is the Colorado School of Mines.

In 2018 the school won a five-year, $2.2 million award from the US Department of Energy to come up with an economical ammonia production and cracking solution.

If all goes according to plan, the impact on the green hydrogen market could be, well, impactful.

The award comes through ARPA-E, the Energy Department office tasked with supporting high risk, high reward energy innovations. “Ammonia is the world’s highest-volume commodity chemical due to its use as a fertilizer to sustain rapidly growing population.” ARPA-E explains.

“Its synthesis consumes one-half of global hydrogen production, requires more energy, and emits more carbon dioxide than any other commodity chemical,” they add.

Beyond Haber-Bosch

Under the terms of the award, the School of Mines is tasked with developing a more economical and energy efficient alternative to the high pressure – high temperature process deployed in conventional Haber-Bosch ammonia production systems.

A corollary process that renders hydrogen out of ammonia is also part of the effort.

“The team is developing a novel type of porous crystalline membranes for selective ammonia separation, which would allow the reaction to proceed beyond conventional equilibrium limits and lower operating pressures,” the School of Mines explains. “By integrating synthesis and purification steps into a single unit operation, it is expected to be more energy efficient, as well.”

The new membrane reactor can be used “at a much smaller scale,” than Haber-Bosch systems, the school adds.

It would help create new opportunities for small scale, decentralized green hydrogen production, using ammonia instead of electrolysis systems.

“With a large distribution infrastructure in place, ammonia can be efficiently shipped, and then when you need hydrogen, just decompose it,” explains lead researcher Colin Wolden.

The project timeline concludes in November 2024.

Reposted from @tinamcasey on Bluesky

Is Hydrogen Set to Compete with Fossil Fuels?


  • The research highlights the potential of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Houston, with its existing hydrogen plants and natural gas pipeline infrastructure, is an ideal location for transitioning to hydrogen-powered transportation.
  • The study compares different hydrogen generation processes and concludes that hydrogen can be supplied at a cost competitive with traditional fuels, considering the environmental benefits.

University of Houston energy researchers suggest hydrogen fuel can potentially be a cost-competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline and diesel, and that supplying hydrogen for transportation in the greater Houston area can be profitable today.

The research team is offering a white paper titled “Competitive Pricing of Hydrogen as an Economic Alternative to Gasoline and Diesel for the Houston Transportation Sector” where they examine the promise for the potential of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.

The white paper offers that traditional liquid transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel are preferred because of their higher energy density. Unlike vehicles using gasoline, which releases carbon dioxide, and diesel – which contributes ground-level ozone, fuel cell electric vehicles refuel with hydrogen in five minutes and produce zero emissions.

The paper then pitches “According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Houston had approximately 5.5 million registered vehicles in the fiscal year 2022. Imagine if all these vehicles were using hydrogen for fuel.”

Houston, home to many hydrogen plants for industrial use, offers several advantages, according to the researchers.

The study explains, “It (Houston) has more than sufficient water and commercial filtering systems to support hydrogen generation. Add to that the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure, which makes hydrogen production and supply more cost effective and makes Houston ideal for transitioning from traditional vehicles to hydrogen-powered ones.”

The study compares three hydrogen generation processes: steam methane reforming (SMR), SMR with carbon capture (SMRCC), and electrolysis using grid electricity and water. The researchers used the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s H2A tools to provide cost estimates for these pathways, and the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model (HDSAM) developed by Argonne National Laboratory to generate the delivery model and costs.

Additionally, it compares the cost of grid hydrogen with SMRCC hydrogen, showing that without tax credit incentive SMRCC hydrogen can be supplied at a lower cost of $6.10 per kg hydrogen at the pump, which makes it competitive.

Professor Christine Ehlig-Economides said, “This research underscores the transformative potential of hydrogen in the transportation sector. Our findings indicate that hydrogen can be a cost-competitive and environmentally responsible choice for consumers, businesses, and policymakers in the greater Houston area.”

Your humble writer is full of suspicion. As regular readers know, hydrogen is gaseous at any sensible consumer operating temperature and pressure. Its the smallest atom and slithers through most everything. Its not something one would want stored in an attached garage. The fuel cell tech isn’t quite there yet. And the study relies on power numbers for steam that likely come from natural gas. Just where the electrical watts needed from the grid would come from is anybody’s guess.

For all the contestable points the work does suggest that hydrogen fuel cells have economic potential. Maybe someday there will be a few models of hydrogen fueled automobiles to choose from.

But right now, the market forcing of electric battery energized cars isn’t building any confidence. Add to that the government wants to force heat pumps and electric appliances as the only choices. This after wind and solar aren’t looking like economically healthy ideas after all.

The reality forecast suggests a disaster. Government plus rule and regulation force? What will a community tolerate when forced to choose between air conditioning and charging the car tonight?

Hydrogen might be the energy / fuel nirvana someday. But know one knows how that system is going to look today. All this political pressure is looking to blow the system up.

Article from OilPrice.com

New CO2 Energy Storage System Could Blow Past Li-Ion


The new long duration energy storage system from Energy Dome uses CO2 to store excess wind and solar energy for up to 24 hours.

Carbon dioxide reaches a liquid state when compressed and it expands with a pop when released, and now the Italian startup Energy Dome is ready to harness the action for a new energy storage system that could provide far more storage at far less cost than conventional lithium-ion battery arrays. Energy Dome’s first project is getting under way in Italy with completion expected before the end of next year. A second project is already in the pipeline for the US state of Wisconsin, too.

CO2 For Long Duration Energy Storage

With the climate crisis looming overhead, long duration energy storage systems have been described as the key to unlocking vast reserves of intermittent wind and solar energy at a more rapid pace.

Lithium-ion battery arrays are currently the go-to medium for storing excess wind and solar energy. However, the state of battery technology typically allows for about 4-6 hours of storage, with newer systems topping out at eight hours. That’s enough to accomplish daily grid management tasks, but the work will pile up as higher volumes of renewable energy flow into grid systems. For future grid resiliency, energy planners are seeking a minimum of 10 hours in storage capacity, ideally reaching a full day or much longer.

The idea of using liquid CO2 for energy storage is simple enough, now that low cost renewable energy is at hand. During periods when renewable energy output is high but electricity demand is low, grid managers have to order curtailments in wind or solar capacity. With a CO2 storage system, the excess kilowatts can be put to work running compressors that convert a large volume of CO2 gas to a smaller volume of liquid. When released from compression and heated, the CO2 expands back to a gas and is put to work running turbines to generate electricity.

Energy Dome crossed the CleanTechnica radar last year with a new “CO2 Battery” storage system. The company earned a place in BNEF Pioneers program of the influential Bloomberg NEF energy research organization, based on its potential for achieving long duration energy storage of up to 24 hours. The system is relatively simple, deploying expandable bladders as a storage platform.

“To ice the long duration energy storage cake, Energy Dome claims that its system is based on proven technologies with non-flammable, non-toxic materials, and that it maintains its performance level for 25 years and possibly longer,” we noted.

A New CO2 Storage System For Italy

In the latest development, on Friday Energy Dome announced that it has gained project-level funding to begin work on its first “thermo-mechanical energy storage system,” in the municipality of Otttana, in the Sardinian province of Nuoro. The euros are coming from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst (up to €35,000,000) and the European Investment Bank (€25,000,000 via Invest EU), through a partnership between Breakthrough and the EU.

“This combined investment is an endorsement of Energy Dome’s ready-to-be-deployed, long-duration energy storage proposition. Energy Dome’s robust performance (high round-trip efficiency) and capital expenditure requirements are significantly more competitive than the Lithium-Ion benchmark, providing a solution to the critical problem of utility-scale long-duration energy storage, which is at the core of the renewable energy transition,” Energy Dome states.

The Sardinia project will consist of the company’s standardized 20-megawatt, 200 megawatt-hour CO2 Battery. It meets the 10-hour long duration milestone described by the US Department of Energy, among others.

“The CO2 Battery does not use materials from rare metals and its main components are based on already existing and known supply chains enabling job creation within Europe,” Energy Dome adds.

$30 Million For Long Duration Energy Storage In Wisconsin

Commercial operation is expected by Q3 2024 for Energy Dome’s project in Italy. Meanwhile, energy planners in Wisconsin are eagerly awaiting their own 20-megawatt CO2 Battery under the forthcoming Columbia Energy Storage Project. The plan is to submit project details to state regulators next year, with an eye on beginning construction in 2025 at a site in the Town of Portage.

The project will be up and running in 2026 if all goes according to plan. That may have been a somewhat dicey proposition some years ago, when Wisconsin had a rocky relationship with renewable energy in general and wind power in particular. More recently, though, the momentum has gone to the clean tech side.

In fact, Wisconsin stakeholders are anticipating that the new storage system will serve as a model for replication all around the US, and some heavy hitters are involved.

The lead US stakeholder behind the CO2 Battery project is the Wisconsin public utility Alliant Energy, which received a grant of up to $30 million from the US Department of Energy for the Columbia project. In addition to funding from the Energy Department, partners in the project include WEC Energy Group, Madison Gas and Electric, Shell Global Solutions US, the California-based Electric Power Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Madison College.

“Guided by our purpose-driven strategy, we continue to invest in cost-effective, sustainable energy solutions for the customers and communities we proudly serve,” enthused John Larsen, Alliant CEO and board chair. “As we diversify our energy mix, the added capacity and unique capabilities of energy storage solutions will strengthen our generation portfolio, increase grid resilience, improve reliability and help us continue to meet customer needs.”

More Long Duration Energy Storage For The USA

As another indication that the Wisconsin project is anticipated to be the first of many, it was funded through the Energy Department’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which launched in 2021 with a $25 billion mandate from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to “help scale the emerging technologies needed to tackle our most pressing climate challenges and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”

OCED has set a high bar for the projects in its long duration energy storage portfolio. In addition to scooping more wind and solar energy into the grid, long duration projects are expected to improve critical infrastructure, emergency response, grid stability and management systems, and transmission systems with a particular focus on rural areas, including communities where energy costs are high.

Long duration energy storage is also expected to help defer or outright avoid new costs associated with transformers, substations, and other transmission and distribution infrastructure. Providing for EV fast-charging stations is another priority, among other tasks.

On top of all that, projects that qualify for OCED funding have to submit a community benefits plan. OCED lists community and workforce engagement, workforce investment, energy and environmental justice, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, among the elements of a qualifying project.

The Columbia project “builds on an ongoing partnership between Alliant Energy, Columbia County and the Ho-Chunk Nation by supporting their shared goals of advancing sustainable energy solutions and expanding economic opportunities,” OCED explained in a funding announcement issued in  September.

Article from CleanTechnia

Image: Energy Dome long duration CO2 energy storage system for wind and solar energy (courtesy of Energy Dome).

Gold Nano Clusters may hold the key to improving electrochemical water splitting needed to efficiently produce Clean Hydrogen Energy


Credit: Polyoxometalates (2023). DOI: 10.26599/POM.

As energy demand continues to rise, research into new, efficient renewable and clean energy sources is an urgent priority.

Currently, renewable energy sources like solar, wind, tide, and geothermal make up less than 40% of the current energy demand. Increasing this percentage and reducing the amount of fossil fuels used will require other, more efficient renewable and clean energy sources.

Hydrogen is a promising alternative, but it is currently produced using steam reforming, which is inefficient and produces CO2 emissions.

Electrochemical water splitting, also called water electrolysis, can take advantages of the electricity generated from renewable sources, is a potential efficient solution to produce hydrogen.

Water splitting requires a reaction called hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but the nanocatalysts involved in this HER do not have uniform size, composition, structure, or chemical coordination environment to improve the efficiency and promote the reaction mechanistic understanding. The solution to this problem may lie in atomically precise gold nanoclusters.

In a literature review published in Polyoxometalates on August 19, the researchers summarize existing work that studies how gold nanoclusters can improve catalytic performance and promote HER.

“It is extremely difficult to achieve a model catalyst with absolute uniform size, definite geometric configuration, and a well-defined local chemical environment at the anatomical level to establish the unambiguous atomical-level structure-performance relationship.

Atomically precise gold nanoclusters can potentially resolve those issues,” said Zhenghua Tang, a researcher at the New Energy Research Institute at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China.

“Specifically, gold nanoclusters have demonstrated extraordinary catalytic properties in various organic reactions and electrocatalytic reactions.”

Gold nanocluster is uniquely suited to be a catalyst for HER for several reasons.

Unlike other nanocatalysts, gold nanocluster has a precise nanostructure. This precise structure means that all gold nanoclusters are uniform in size, composition, morphology, and chemical environment.

It is also helpful for identifying the active sites for HER catalysis. The rich chemical reactivities of gold nanoclusters allow for both metal core tailoring and surface ligand engineering.

Metal core tailoring is when another metal is introduced to the gold nanocluster, which forms a gold-alloy cluster.

Introducing another metal can endow novel catalytic capabilities and significantly reduce costs.

In surface ligand engineering, the surface chemical environment can be fine-tuned to expose more active sites or change the structure of the nanocluster.

Finally, gold nanoclusters have other structural merits, such as the size is ultrasmall, which meets the principle of “small is precious” in catalysis field; the morphology can be tuned and manipulated; robust stability with intact structure preserved in various reaction under mild conditions.

“The cases presented in this review clearly show that exceptional HER catalytic properties are often displayed because of the distinct advantages of gold nanoclusters compared to gold nanoparticles.

However, challenges are certainly present in employing gold nanoclusters for HER catalysis,” said Tang.

Some of the common challenges associated with gold nanoclusters are:

– Finding a solution to the amount of gold that would be required to scale commercial operations

– How the nanocatalysts perform in harsh conditions, and

– Inaccurate theoretical modeling.

Looking ahead, researchers are planning what the next steps in nanocatalyst research should be. Suggested avenues include testing the applicability of the gold cluster-based composite for other reactions coupled with HER and improving the electrical conductivity of the cluster-based composite catalyst.

“Due to the rapid development of synthetic techniques and catalysis science, we anticipate more research efforts will be dedicated to using atomically precise metal nanoclusters as model catalysts for various electrocatalytic reactions and beyond,” said Tang.

More information: Xin Zhu et al, Atomically precise Au nanoclusters for electrochemical hydrogen evolution catalysis: Progress and perspectives, Polyoxometalates (2023). DOI: 10.26599/POM.2023.9140031

Provided by Tsinghua University Press

Green hydrogen successfully produced from plastic waste


Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of layered stacks of nano-scale flash graphene sheets formed from waste plasticKevin Wyss/Tour lab

Low-emissions strategy that could pay for itself helps scientists achieve high-yield hydrogen gas and high-value graphene.

Climate change has made scientists seek renewable energy where it can be found. While manufacturing products out of waste is on the way to becoming a mainstream practice, producing hydrogen from waste is the first we’ve heard of.

Recently, a team of scientists from Rice University successfully harvested hydrogen – a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels from plastic waste.

Usually, methods used to produce hydrogen are often unsustainable, while the energy itself may be. Such methods are known to generate carbon emissions and are also costly to produce. 

Low-emissions strategy

However, this new technique is a low-emissions strategy that could more than pay for itself, according to a statement by the researchers.

Kevin Wyss, a Rice University’s doctoral alumnus and lead author of the study, said that the team converted waste plastics – including mixed waste plastics that don’t have to be sorted by type or washed – into high-yield hydrogen gas and high-value graphene.

“If the produced graphene is sold at only five percent of current market value ⎯ , a 95 percent off sale! ⎯ clean hydrogen could be produced for free,” Wyss expressed.

Green hydrogen, derived from renewable energy sources, which experiences a process of water splitting into two components, is priced at approximately $5 for slightly more than two pounds.

In comparison, the majority of 100 million tons of hydrogen consumed globally in 2022 was was produced from cheaper fossil fuels. Still, the production had approximately 12 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of hydrogen.

Reaching net zero via sustainable energy production

James Tour, Rice’s T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and a professor of materials science and nanoengineering, noted:

“The main form of hydrogen used today is ‘gray’ hydrogen, produced through steam-methane reforming, a method that generates a lot of carbon dioxide. Demand for hydrogen will likely skyrocket over the next few decades, so we can’t keep making it the same way we have until now if we’re serious about reaching net zero emissions by 2050.”

The scientific process of creating hydrogen from plastic waste material involves exposing the waste samples to rapid flash Joule heating for nearly four seconds. This brought the temperature up to 3100 degrees Kelvin. 

Consequently, the procedure vaporizes the hydrogen within plastics, forming graphene — a remarkably lightweight and robust material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms.

Studying gas compositions

Wyss explained that when the flash Joule heating technique was first discovered and then utilized to upcycle waste plastic into graphene, scientists noticed the production of many volatile gases and them being shot out of the reactor. 

“We wondered what they were, suspecting a mix of small hydrocarbons and hydrogen, but lacked the instrumentation to study their exact composition.”

To analyze the vapourised content, the team acquired the necessary equipment to determine hydrogen production. 

The scientists recovered 68 percent of the atomic hydrogen despite having a purity of 94 percent.

.

Wyss described: “We know that polyethylene, for example, is made of 86 percent carbon and 14 percent hydrogen. Developing the methods and expertise to characterize and quantify all the gases, including hydrogen, produced by this method was a difficult but rewarding process for me.”

Wyss highlighted other new techniques employed in the research and development of low-emission-generating hydrogen, including life-cycle assessment and gas chromatography. 

“I hope that this work will allow for the production of clean hydrogen from waste plastics, possibly solving major environmental problems like plastic pollution and the greenhouse gas-intensive production of hydrogen by steam-methane reforming.”

The study was published in the journal – Advanced Materials on September 11.  

Study abstract:

Hydrogen gas (H2) is the primary storable fuel for pollution-free energy production, with over 90 million tonnes used globally per year.

More than 95% of H2 is synthesized through metal-catalyzed steam methane reforming that produces 11 tonnes of CO2 per tonne H2. “Green H2” from water electrolysis using renewable energy evolves no CO2, but costs 2–3x more, making it presently economically unviable.

Here we report catalyst-free conversion of waste plastic into clean H2 along with high purity graphene. The scalable procedure evolves no CO2 when deconstructing polyolefins and produces H2 in purities up to 94% at high mass yields.

Sale of graphene byproduct at just 5% of its current value yields H2 production at negative cost. Life-cycle assessment demonstrates a 39–84% reduction in emissions compared to other H2 production methods, suggesting the flash H2 process to be an economically viable, clean H2 production route.