SBIR-STTR Award

High efficiency, low pollution, and long lifetime make hydrogen-powered fuel cells desirable for portable power generation by the Army. However, it is impractical to transport hydrogen to where it is needed. Instead, reforming a transportable liquid fuel such as JP-8 or diesel fuel can produce the hydrogen for the fuel cell. Noble metal catalysts can speed this reforming, but they are expensive and easily deactivated by formation of carbon deposits, and by fuel contaminants such as sulfur. NanoScale Corporation and Kansas State University propose to develop catalysts and catalytic systems that can efficiently convert logistic fuels to hydrogen without suffering deactivation from coking or sulfur poisoning. Research efforts will target ways to reduce the costs of fuel reforming systems, either by developing new catalysts to replace expensive noble metal catalysts or developing ways to reduce the required metal loading. This project will address these objectives by using bimetallic nanoparticles based on platinum and nickel to catalyze the partial oxidation of logistic fuels. NanoScale has great experience in synthesis, characterization, and manufacture of metal nanoparticles and nanocrystalline metal oxides, while Prof. Keith Hohn is an expert in catalytic systems for reforming hydrocarbons into hydrogen.

Keywords:
Catalyst, Fuel, Jp-8, Nickel, Platinum, Hydrocarbon Reforming

High efficiency, low pollution, and long lifetime make hydrogen-powered fuel cells desirable for portable power generation by the Army. However, it is impractical to transport hydrogen to where it is needed. Instead, reforming a transportable liquid fuel such as JP-8 or diesel fuel can produce the hydrogen for the fuel cell. Noble metal catalysts can speed this reforming, but they are expensive and easily deactivated by formation of carbon deposits, and by fuel contaminants such as sulfur. In Phase I, NanoScale Corporation and Kansas State University demonstrated the feasibility of Ni and Pt nanoparticles supported on nanocrystalline alumina, for reforming dodecane with high activity and selectivity. In Phase II, NanoScale and KSU will optimize the catalytic system, scale up the catalyst synthesis, and confirm its activity in the presence of sulfur, aromatics, naphthalenes, and JP-8. We will construct a prototype reactor, for delivery to the Army for their validation.

Keywords:
Platinum, Nickel, Reforming, Catalyst, Hydrogen, Hydrocarbon