Electrochemical natural gas conversion to more valuable species

Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2085774· OSTI ID:5556367

Kuchynka, D J; Cook, R L; Fammells, A F ^[1]

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1. Eltron Research, Inc., Aurora, IL (US)

This paper reports on the electrochemical oxidative dimerization of methane to give C{sub 2} hydrocarbon species investigated in solid oxide fuel cells possessing the general configuration: CH{sub 4}, anode electrocatalyst/ZrO{sub 2}(8 m/o Y{sub 2}O{sub 3})/La{sub 0.9}Sr{sub 0.1}MnO{sub 3}O{sub 2}(air). Perovskite anode electrocatalysts shown to possess activity toward promoting the subject reaction include Sm{sub 0.5}Ce{sub 0.5}CuO{sub 3}, Tb{sub 0.8}Sm{sub 0.2}CuO{sub 3}, Gd{sub 0.9}Th{sub 0.1}CuO{sub 3}, Gd{sub 0.9}Na{sub 0.1}MnO{sub 3}, and Th{sub 0.8}Yb{sub 0.2}NiO{sub 3}. Maximum partial faradaic current densities at active perovskite anode electrocatalysts for promoting the subject reaction were found to be directly correlatable to their calculated oxygen binding energies on the perovskite surface, where increasing binding energies were found to favor higher rates for electrochemical partial methane oxidation. Increasing surface oxygen binding energies at perovskite anode electrocatalysts were found to correlate with increasing perovskite lattice-free volumes with electrochemical measurements, supporting increasing surface oxygen binding energies and perovskite lattice-free volumes as leading to enhanced rates for the subject reaction. As a consequence, synergism was found between experimentally determined perovskite anode electrocatalyst activities, their calculated surface oxygen binding energies, and lattice ionic-free volumes.

• OSTI ID: 5556367
• Journal Information: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; (United States), Vol. 138:5; ISSN 0013-4651
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
09 BIOMASS FUELS
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
METHANE
ENERGY CONVERSION
SOLID ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELLS
ELECTROCATALYSTS
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
PARTIAL OXIDATION PROCESSES
PEROVSKITE
SYNTHETIC FUELS
ALKANES
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONVERSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
FUEL CELLS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
MINERALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDE MINERALS
PEROVSKITES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
300504* - Fuel Cells- Applications
100200 - Synthetic Fuels- Production- (1990-)
090900 - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)
400400 - Electrochemistry