Wexler Group Awarded DOE Grant for Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production
We are thrilled to announce that the Wexler Group has been awarded a grant from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under its Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) program. This grant supports our project titled “Ca-Ce-Ti-Mn-O-Based Perovskites for Two-Step Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production Cycles.”
Dr. Wexler’s project focuses on optimizing Ca-Ce-Ti-Mn-O-based (CCTM-based) perovskites for efficient solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production. This project aims to demonstrate on-sun high-yield hydrogen production via a two-step water-splitting cycle, significantly improving upon current technologies.
Our research will involve quantum-mechanics-based calculations and thermodynamic modeling to optimize the composition of CCTM-based perovskites. This will be done in collaboration with HydroGEN nodes, leveraging their expertise in synthesizing and characterizing these materials under targeted conditions. A key milestone will be the demonstration of one gram per hour hydrogen productivity using our collaborators at Arizona State University prototype reactor, a significant step towards scaling up this technology.
Additionally, this project aims to advance the understanding and application of CCTM-related perovskites by tuning their reduction thermodynamics through a cation substitution approach. The partnership with HydroGEN nodes will be crucial in demonstrating the proof-of-principle for these materials.
A critical aspect of our project is its potential economic impact. We will conduct techno-economic analyses to demonstrate the pathway to lowering hydrogen production costs. Our collaborators at Ohio State University will lead this analysis.
The project will begin its journey towards these goals in 2023. Stay tuned for more updates on this endeavor!