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dc.contributor.advisorIrvine, John T. S.
dc.contributor.authorKlinsrisuk, Sujitra
dc.coverage.spatial231en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-11-12T12:38:14Z
dc.date.available2010-11-12T12:38:14Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.identifieruk.bl.ethos.552477
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/1294
dc.descriptionElectronic version does not contain associated previously published materialen_US
dc.description.abstractNovel ceramic membrane cells of BaCe₀.₅Zr₀.₃Y₀.₁₆Zn₀.₀₄O[subscript(3-δ)] (BCZYZ), a proton-conducting oxide, have been developed for electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis. Unlike the industrial Haber-Bosch process, in this work an attempt to synthesise ammonia at atmospheric pressure has been made. The membrane cell fabricated by tape casting and solution impregnation comprises of a 200 μm-thick BCZYZ electrolyte and impregnated electrode composites. Electrocatalysts for anode and cathode were investigated. For the anode, the co-impregnation of Ni and CeO₂ provided excellent electrode performance including high catalytic activity, sintering stability and compatibility with the BCZYZ electrolyte. The best composition was the mixture of 25 wt% NiO and 10 wt% CeO₂. A symmetrical cell prepared with this electrode composition revealed low polarisation resistances of 1.0 and 0.45 Ωcm² in humidified 5% H₂/Ar at 400 and 500 °C, respectively. For the cathode, 25 wt% of impregnated Fe oxide provided a satisfactory performance in non-humidified N₂ atmosphere. Significant amounts of ammonia were produced from the single cell with Ni-CeO₂ anode and Fe oxide cathode at 400-500 °C under atmospheric pressure. Ammonia formation rate was enhanced by Pd catalyst addition and electrochemical performance was improved by Ru addition. The highest ammonia formation rate of 4 x 10⁻⁹ mols⁻¹cm⁻² was attained using the cell with a Pd-modified Fe cathode at 450 °C. The formation reaction of ammonia typically consumed around 1-2.5 % of total applied current while most of the applied current was employed in H⁺ reduction. The total current efficiency of around 90-100 % could be obtained from the membrane cells.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of St Andrews
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
dc.subjectAmmonia synthesisen_US
dc.subjectProton conducting oxide membraneen_US
dc.subjectTape castingen_US
dc.subjectIon impregnationen_US
dc.subjectBCZYZen_US
dc.subject.lccTP223.K6
dc.subject.lcshAmmonia--Synthesisen_US
dc.subject.lcshElectrocatalysisen_US
dc.subject.lcshSlip castingen_US
dc.subject.lcshOxide ceramicsen_US
dc.subject.lcshFuel cellsen_US
dc.titleNovel electrocatalytic membrane for ammonia synthesisen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.accrualMethodScholarship from the Royal Thai Government
dc.contributor.sponsorRoyal Thai Governmenten_US
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_US
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD Doctor of Philosophyen_US
dc.publisher.institutionThe University of St Andrewsen_US


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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
Except where otherwise noted within the work, this item's licence for re-use is described as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported