Use of the aluminum gallium indium tin system for energy storage and conversion
Abstract
The water-reactivity of Al-Ga and Al-Ga-In-Sn alloys is investigated as a means to utilize the chemical potential energy of Al to generate H2 and heat. Bulk quantities of these alloys participate in a heterogeneous reaction with water to produce H2 and α-Al(OH)3 (bayerite) as confirmed by gas chromatography and X-ray diffractometry, respectively. Experiments suggest the reaction is enabled by a mechanism involving multiple alloy phases, where Al solvated in a liquid phase is transported to an interface between the alloy and water resulting in the Al being consumed by reaction. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that for the Al-Ga-In-Sn quaternary system, the temperature at which this reaction-enabling phase liquefies is 9.38°C. H2 yield data is collected from the reaction of 50 wt% Al-34 wt% Ga-11 wt% In-5 wt% Sn alloys with water and analyzed with respect to time and temperature. Samples of this composition produced an average H 2 yield of 83.8%. A fit to the data using fractional order kinetic analysis establishes the activation energy for the rate-limiting step to be 43.8 kJ/mol.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Woodall, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Analytical chemistry|Electrical engineering|Materials science
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