CBE Seminar (Zoom): Hydrogen by Water Electrolysis

Zoom link to be distributed by CBE department (For non-UCI persons: see link below to register )
Radenka Maric, Ph.D.

Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor of Sustainable Energy
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Registration link for non-UCI persons:

https://forms.gle/FgayBRJjdxaRxke66

Abstract: Hydrogen production by water electrolysis in water electrolyzers (WEs) has been developed as an alternative and sustainable technology for energy conversion and storage and is well integrated into the electric grid of the renewable energy system. However, hydrogen produced by electrolysis using current methods is more expensive than hydrogen produced by other technologies. Therefore, water electrolysis accounts for a mere 4% of global hydrogen production; all other production sources are linked to fossil fuels. Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis will only be competitive when the cost of the process is being reduced and its stability is improved.

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis systems offer several advantages over traditional electrolysis technologies and have the potential to be cost effective at large scales. But, significant advances are needed in catalyst and membrane materials as well as in the labor-intensive manufacturing process. The state-of-the-art anode catalyst in conventional PEMWEs are iridium oxide or mixed oxide with ruthenium. Typical catalysts for commercial electrodes have iridium oxide loading from 1 to 3 mg cm-2. This level of catalyst loading is too high to meet the long-term cost targets for energy markets. Furthermore, the translation of catalyst development from lab scale to the megawatt scale using current electrolysis technology is challenging in terms of catalyst cost and stability.

The enhancement of catalyst stability is as important as the reduction of catalyst loading. Long-term operation (up to thousands of hours) at high current density is particularly challenging with an Ir loading of less than 1 mg cm-2.  

Maric’s group is working to develop proton exchange fuel cells (PEMFC) that satisfy the Department of Energy’s 2020 electrocatalyst and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance and durability targets using a system of low-PGM-content electrocatalysts deposited on corrosion-resistant carbon supports, applied onto ultrathin membranes, to ensure applicability in high-power-density, self-humidifying automotive fuel cell stacks.

We devote specific attention to achieving a high-performance low-Pt electrode structure, with a total loading of 0.15 mg/cm2, by developing a gradient cathode structure, prepared using the reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT), which will be optimized for different carbon supports and ultrathin membranes. The RSDT technique allows for independent, dynamic control of each element of the catalyst layer as it is directly deposited onto the electrolyte membrane.  We mitigated the impact of low-Pt loading on electrocatalyst durability in an electrode by studying and understanding ionomer-support-catalyst interactions and electrode microstructure evolution at the triple-phase boundary upon exposure to automotive drive cycles (or their AST equivalents).

Bio: Radenka Maric is vice president for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the University of Connecticut, where she oversees the university’s $375 million research enterprise at the main campus in Storrs, the UConn Health campus in Farmington, the School of Law in Hartford and four regional campuses around the state. Previously, Maric served as the inaugural executive director of UConn’s $132 million Innovation Partnership Building, which houses state-of-art specialized equipment and research centers of excellence and serves as a nexus for industry-academic partnerships.

Maric is the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor of Sustainable Energy in the University of Connecticut’s Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She brings her technical background in materials and energy to create, manage and lead innovative programs designed to commercialize new products and develop emerging markets that utilize advanced materials. She has expertise in integrating emerging market needs with technology capabilities to define vision and strategies of scientific organizations, building and leading diverse teams, prioritizing programs for market development and commercialization, and managing diverse scientific and engineering project portfolios.

Maric has led and continues to drive strategic efforts to build fundamental and applied research and technology commercialization capabilities in partnership with government, industry and other academic leaders. She has firsthand experience transitioning academic discoveries into real-world products as the founder and chief technology officer of a biotech startup housed in UConn’s Technology Incubation Program. Her research interests include fundamental understanding of the effect of structure, defects and microstructure on transport and electrical properties of surfaces and interfaces. She is interested in developing novel materials for fuel cell, batteries and biosensors, durability study, performance and life prognosis.

Maric has received numerous awards for innovation and leadership development in Japan, Canada and the United States. She is an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has an extensive and diverse funding portfolio including grants from multiple federal agencies and contracts with both domestic and international industry partners.

Maric earned her bachelor's degree from Belgrade University, and her master's degree and doctorate from Kyoto University.

Host: Professor Plamen Atanassov