3D Printed Membraneless Electrolyzers for CO2 Conversion

This project will involve the design and development of novel membraneless electrochemical devices for converting CO2 into chemicals and fuels. These electrolyzers are very important for a clean energy future because they can use electricity generated by renewable solar or wind resources to produce storable chemical fuels such as hydrogen. This project will be primarily experimental in nature, focusing on the design of devices, fabrication of devices, and evaluation of their performance. Conventional electrolyzers rely on membranes, which are costly and can be prone to failure. The goal of the project is to develop new electrolyzers based on flow-through electrodes that do not require membranes, and apply them in a way that allows for high throughput conversion of CO2 to chemicals. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, will be used to fabricate the electrolyzers. Electroanalytical techniques and in situ high speed video analysis will be employed to evaluate device performance under different operating conditions and electrode configurations, and reactor design principles will be applied to optimize electrode and reactor geometries. This project will require previous experience with programming and computer aided design software, as well as coursework in fluid dynamics.