Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) is committed to cultivating excellent engineers and scientific talents with innovative ability, global vision and humanistic quality. Since 2021, the "Guangdong-Technion Leadership in Science and Technology Lecture Series" has been launched to provide a platform for high-impact dialogues that explore topics that are pertinent to our faculties, students and community.

At the beginning of spring semester 2024, the "Guangdong-Technion Leadership in Science and Technology Lecture Series" will be held as usual. On March 4th, Prof. Michael Guiver from Tianjin University will deliver a lecture entitled "Strategies to overcome materials challenges for fuel cells: Electrochemical devices that directly convert hydrogen to electricity" at GTIIT.

Information

• Date: March 4th (Monday)

• Time

19:00-20:00 (Beijing Time)

13:00-14:00 (Israel Time)

• Venue: GTIIT Auditorium

• Title: Strategies to overcome materials challenges for fuel cells: Electrochemical devices that directly convert hydrogen to electricity

• Speaker

Prof. Michael Guiver

National Foreign Expert Professor

State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University

• Host: Assoc. Prof. Xuezhong He (GTIIT Chemical Engineering Program)

• Language: English

• Zoom Link

(1) By mobile phone: please scan the QR code to attend the lecture

(2) By PC: please visit the website below to attend the lecture

https://gtiit.zoom.us/j/95060661443

Abstract

Fuel cells (FC) are key energy conversion devices envisaged to contribute to the hydrogen economy, but their widespread adoption faces multiple scientific, technical and policy challenges including cost, durability, and infrastructure requirements. A background of the fuel cell landscape will be given, followed by a description of some of the main contenders for various applications. Then, some research strategies will be discussed on improving the performance and durability of one of the central components of polymer electrolyte fuel cells: proton exchange membranes (PEM) and anion exchange membranes (AEM). Interest in replacing commercial perfluorinated membranes with environmentally more benign and lower cost hydrocarbon membranes allows favorably higher temperature operation and reduced water management. In the last decade, research focus has also turned to anion exchange membranes (AEM), because costly platinum group metal catalysts can be avoided, but alkali stability and sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 are also big challenges.

BIO

Michael D. Guiver obtained his BSc (London University) and MSc (Carleton University) in Chemistry, and his PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Carleton University in 1988. He served as an Editor for the Journal of Membrane Science from 2009?2020 (12 years), and on the Editorial Boards of a number other journals. Since March 2022, he serves as the Field Chief Editor for a new journal Frontiers in Membrane Science and Technology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, an ACS Poly Fellow, and is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Barrer Centre, Imperial College, UK. In 2022, he was awarded Fellow of the North American Membrane Society for technical achievements and service to the society. He has published about 290 articles and 11 book chapters and holds about 25 patents and patent applications in the area of polymeric membrane materials. From 1987?2014, he was a scientist at the National Research Council Canada. In 2009?2013, he was a WCU visiting professor at the Department of Energy Engineering at Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. In September 2014, he was appointed as a National 1000-Plan Foreign Experts professor at the State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, China. His main research is in membrane materials: polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cell applications and specialized microporous polymers for gas separations.

Text/Photos: RIGS, GTIIT News & Public Affairs