Production of Zero-Carbon Fuel in Microfluidic Reactors by Heterogeneous Catalysis



Maleki, Hesam
(2020) Production of Zero-Carbon Fuel in Microfluidic Reactors by Heterogeneous Catalysis. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

In this thesis, the main goal is to design and optimise a microfluidic system for the onboard COx-free generation of hydrogen. The studies were conducted on the synthesis and inkjet printing of mesoporous mixed oxide catalysts into microchannels for hydrogen generation via the low-temperature decomposition of ammonia. The kinetic study of the above reaction was carried out using a combination of experimental and numerical approaches. For the experimental section, a series of procedures was adopted such as advanced material synthesis and deposition, reactor design and characterisation techniques to prepare and characterise novel catalysts and perform kinetic studies in a microreactor. CFD modelling was then carried on the designed reactors, and two kinetic rate models were developed based on the experimental data obtained in the reactor tests. Here, it was demonstrated that inkjet printing could be effectively used for the synthesis and local immobilisation of active catalysts in the reactor systems. Based on the prior literature and this work, a mini-review article was published in the journal of RSC Catal. Sci. Technol., 2020, providing an insight into inkjet printing technology in the context of heterogeneous catalysis. To prove the concept, a low-temperature process (below 100 °C) was used to synthesise and print photoactive anatase nanofilms onto polymeric substrates using a modified desktop inkjet printer. The coated substrates were assembled in a flexible, lightweight microfluidic device for photocatalytic studies. The synthesised TiO2 showed a competitive activity compared with commercial TiO2 nanopowders (published in ACS Appl. Nano Mater., 2019).

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Inkjet printing, NH3 decomposition, hydrogen generation, mesoporous catalysts, TiO2, heterogeneous catalysis, CFD
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2021 14:56
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 23:19
DOI: 10.17638/03108889
Supervisors:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3108889