Pokročilé materiály a technologie pro procesy dekarbonizace

SP2024/025

The problem of the increasing content of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is accompanied by climate changes, which have a crucial impact on life on our planet. The effort of developed countries is to stop the increase in emissions of harmful gases, among which carbon dioxide dominates in volume. For this reason, considerable attention is paid to the decarbonization of industry with the aim of contributing to the achievement of climate neutrality. The aforementioned climate neutrality can only be achieved through a comprehensive approach, including, for example, the optimization of production processes and technologies from both an energy and a material perspective. The proposed project is oriented towards the research of materials that are focused on the accumulation of thermal and electrical energy, materials for hydrogen storage, and on the use of energy- and material-friendly 3D printing for the production of ceramic products. All three mentioned research directions can contribute to the achievement of climate neutrality. Research activities: VA1. Materials for the accumulation of thermal and electric energy The increase in the installed power of electricity from renewable sources is growing every year, and thus the renewable sources represent one of the main options for reducing of carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels burning in traditional heat power plants. On the other hand, renewable sources are characterized by their instability in electricity production due to the variable environmental conditions. The possibility of storing the generated electrical energy using batteries and supercapacitors, as well as the possibility of storing this energy in the form of high-potential heat, enables us to utilize the accumulated energy in periods when the conditions for production of electricity from renewable sources are not optimal. Effective energy accumulation represents an ideal way to manage energy flow, significantly helping to achieve climate neutrality. The mentioned methods of energy accumulation and preservation require systematic research of materials used for these purposes. As part of the project, research focused on materials for the electrodes of batteries and supercapacitors, and materials for storage of energy in a form of high-potential heat will take place. Research in thermal energy storage materials will specifically focus on the development of oxide ceramic-based materials with a high bulk density for the cyclic process of thermal energy storage and release. Furthermore, mathematical modeling of the process of accumulation of electrical energy in the form of high-potential heat and modeling of the process of releasing thermal energy will be performed. Boundary conditions will also be formulated with respect to the efficiency of the heating and cooling processes of the developed bodies that are applicable in devices for the accumulation and subsequent release of high-potential thermal energy. Research in the area of electrical energy storage materials will specifically focus on metal oxides prepared preferably using industrially produced secondary products, and highly porous carbonaceous materials obtained by thermal processing of biomass. The prepared materials will be further modified with, for example, sodium and lithium cations using ion exchange and intercalation procedures. The prepared materials will be characterized by chemical and phase analysis methods, particle morphology will be evaluated using the electron microscopy method, textural parameters will be evaluated using nitrogen physisorption. The functional properties of the prepared materials will be tested using selected electrochemical methods. VA2: Materials for hydrogen storage The use of hydrogen for the production of electricity and also other applications, for example, as a heat energy source by its burning, represents an important step towards achieving climate neutrality. In addition to the difficulties associated with its large-volume production, hydrogen storage is also a critical aspect of its safe and economical use. Hydrogen can be stored as a gas under high pressure; it can also be stored in a liquid form, adsorbed on the surface of certain substances, or in the form of metal hydrides. Between the mentioned possibilities, metal hydrides represent a prospective method with regard to safety and the amount of stored hydrogen. A typical example of a hydride that can be used for hydrogen storage today is e.g.: LaNi5H6, its disadvantage is low gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity, which reaches approximately 1.3 wt. %. Modification of primary alloys based on La-Ni with other metals (e.g.: Sn, Mg, etc.) can bring a significant increase in the gravimetric capacities of hydrogen of the resulting alloys, and the study of selected alloys will be the subject of this research activity within the presented SGS project. The goal of the project is therefore to obtain ternary alloys with a high gravimetric hydrogen content, and optimal conditions for its hydrogenation/dehydrogenation (low temperatures and low pressures). Another part of VA2 is the study of Energetic Materials (EM), specifically the materials that can be used as fuel for hybrid combustion engines. The focus of the research will be on fuel mixtures based on paraffins with various additives, which represent a more ecological alternative to commonly used fuels. The development of EM materials and the optimization of EM properties will be implemented both for the solid and for the liquid phase, or semi-solid state. The properties of the studied materials will be studied with regard to their chemical and phase composition, with regard to the presence of additives that can increase the energy content (e.g. selected nanoparticles) depending on the temperature and possibly also on the pressure. An experimental and theoretical study of the developed materials will be carried out, especially by methods of thermal analysis, calorimetry, viscometry, and the surface and interphase properties will also be studied. Electron microscopy and chemical microanalysis (SEM, TEM, EDS) will be used to characterize the morphology and chemical composition of the samples ́ surface, the phase composition of the samples will be evaluated using XRD analysis. VA3: 3D printing of ceramic materials and their potential for decarbonization Additive technologies, whose principle is 3D printing, represents an intensively studied area bringing the benefits in terms of rapid production of parts with complex shapes, saving of input materials, resulting in a minimum of waste, saving the capacity in storehouses, saving time, and possibility of rapid changes in material design. 3D printing of silicate products is a relatively new discipline, especially compared to 3D printing of polymer materials. The specificity of 3D printing of ceramic materials is a much more complex technological process. Direct inject writing (DIW) technology enables continuous printing of products using both oxidic and nonoxidic raw materials, primarily in the form of pastes of suitable plasticity. Input materials can be both traditional ceramic (materials that undergo calcination after printing the desired shape), and hydraulic or materials with latent hydraulicity that solidify and harden (mature) as a result of hydration processes. Aging of these materials can be carried out in autoclaves that can be filled with CO2. The presence of CO2 causes carbonation of the resulting hydration products and thus fixes the CO2. As part of the project, the possibility of using 3D printing for mixtures of hydraulic and latently hydraulic active materials and the possibility of using printed samples for CO2 capture will be studied. Carbonation experiments will be performed in a dedicated laboratory autoclave. The chemical and phase composition, as well as mechanical and textural properties (e.g. strength, porosity, bulk density, etc.) of carbonated samples will be characterized. The main points of the research will be the preparation of mixtures of ceramic and hydraulic materials suitable for additive manufacturing and the testing of the capability of printed samples to store CO2. In the first step, recipes based on multicomponent materials including preferably waste materials will be designed; in the next step the selected mixtures will be prepared and their rheology will be adjusted to meet the requirements of the 3D printer. In the next step, complex shape components will be printed and their mechanical properties will be characterized. The results obtained will serve to optimize the printing conditions (speed, nozzle shape, line height). The finished samples will then be subjected to carbonation tests, and their ability to absorb CO2 will be evaluated by determining the carbon content using selected chemical analysis techniques (EA, EDS).

2024

2024

Ministerstvo školství, mládeže a tělovýchovy

SGS

Specifický výzkum VŠB-TUO

Matějka Vlastimil doc. Ing., Ph.D.