NATURAL GAS CONVERSION TO ETHYLENE IN INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURE FUEL CELLS

THIS PLANNED PROGRAM WILL BE DIRECTED TOWARDS DEVELOPING THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INSIGHT NECESSARY FOR EVALUATING AN INTERMEDIATE TEMPERATURE FUEL CELL FOR PROMOTING THE HIGHLY SELECTIVE CONVERSION OF NATURAL GAS TO ETHYLENE IN ITS ANODE COMPARTMENT. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED IN FUEL CELLS INCORPORATING ADVANCED SOLID ELECTROLYTE AND ANODE ELECTROCATALYST. THESIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ANODE ELECTROCATALYSIS STRATEGY IS THE EXPECTATION THAT IMMOBILE SURFACE LATTICE O(2-) SPECIES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION TO O(-). THESE LATTER SPECIES WILL BE SITES RESPONSIBLE FOR PROMOTING INITIAL METHANE ACTIVATION BY TRANSIENT FORMATION OF OH(-). PROTON CONDUCTION WILL THEN PROCEED ACROSS THE SOLID ELECTROLYTE VIA INTERMEDIATE OH(-) SITES TO THE OXYGEN REDUCTION SIDE, CONTINUOUSLY REGENERATING IMMOBILE LATTICE O(-) SPECIES AT THE METHANE OXIDATION SURFACE. THE IMPORTANT ANTICIPATED FEATURE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL BE HIGH SELECTIVITY TOWARDS PROMOTING THE DESIRED METHANE OXIDATIVE DIMERIZATION REACTION WHILE AVOIDING SUSCEPTIBILITY TOWARDS FORMATION OF DEEP METHANE OXIDATIONPRODUCTS.