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Papers by Tanya Agarwal
ECS Meeting Abstracts
Nafion is one of the standard proton exchange membranes that serves as the electrolyte membrane i... more Nafion is one of the standard proton exchange membranes that serves as the electrolyte membrane in fuel cells. However, it has been found to chemically degrade over time due to the generation of harmful peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. Attack by such radicals on the Nafion side chains causes polymer chain unzipping, and the membrane loses its mechanical integrity over time [1]. Cerium is proven to be an effective radical scavenger due to rapid transition between its +3 and +4 oxidation states and regenerates swiftly in the fuel cell environment. However, over time, cerium migrates due to the electrochemical potential, high water flux, and ionic diffusion [2] [3]. To resolve this issue, we functionalized a fraction of the side chains of Nafion with crown ether to complex with cerium and thereby prevent its migration. Crown ether has shown the ability to enhance cerium stability in recent studies [4] [5]. Cerium complex formation with crown ether was studied using UV visible spectrosco...
ECS Meeting Abstracts
The use of clean hydrogen around the world is expected to significantly increase in the coming de... more The use of clean hydrogen around the world is expected to significantly increase in the coming decades as various countries move towards their carbon neutral goals. The United States has committed significant funds ($9.5 Billion over the next 5 years) to the demonstration of a clean hydrogen infrastructure with electrolysis ($1 Billion in research over the next 5 years) being one of the key enabling technologies. Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) for hydrogen production are expected to play a critical role in this transition to a hydrogen economy. The DOE has formed a consortium (H2NEW : Hydrogen from the next generation of electrolyzers of Water) to overcome technical barriers to affordable, reliable and efficient electrolyzer development. The consortium is working on various aspects of PEMWEs to improve their durability, decrease their cost, improve manufacturability and demonstrate economic feasibility. As part of this effort, the consortium is developing a...
![Research paper thumbnail of MEA Durability and AST Development: National Lab Principal Investigators [Slides]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/101314494/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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Specific goals: • Develop a duty cycle representative of electrolyzer operation while capturing a... more Specific goals: • Develop a duty cycle representative of electrolyzer operation while capturing all degradation mechanisms • Develop component specific ASTs to evaluate the durability of individual components in a reasonable time period (1 week to 1 month)
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
A significant fraction of the solar radiation falling on photovoltaic (PV) panels gets converted ... more A significant fraction of the solar radiation falling on photovoltaic (PV) panels gets converted into heat thus reducing the efficiency of photovoltaic power plants. Generally the performance of PV panels falls by 0.5% for every degree rise in temperature, depending on the type of solar cells used. The temperature regulation of PV power systems therefore becomes important especially for areas experiencing consistently high temperatures to improve PV efficiency. The objective of the study is to review literature on photovoltaic cooling techniques using phase change materials (PCM) including PV-thermal systems and building integrated photovoltaic systems. The main aim is to identify important research areas to ensure reliable performance and commercially viability of the technology. Various parameters are required to be evaluated and optimized for the geographical location of interest to obtain the best output. Increase in electrical efficiency as high as 5% is observed with PV-PCM integrated systems. Study suggests that inorganic PCMs have a good potential for PV cooling. PCM based PV systems will be cost effective only for areas with high insolation year round with less inter-seasonal climatic variations. However, poor thermal conductivity and large undercooling are major problems associated with PCM. There are only few studies on performance testing, economic benefit identification, increase in PV panel lifetime and LCA analysis for testing the suitability of PCM as coolant for PV panels. In this study the research gaps are identified for follow up work. Market review suggests that PCM based PV cooling technology is not yet commercialized due to its inefficiency primarily because of technological challenges, high system costs and nonavailability of reliable operating designs. The study suggests that PCM is still not an economic cooling technique for PV systems and further research is required.
Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
ECS Meeting Abstracts
Nafion is one of the standard proton exchange membranes that serves as the electrolyte membrane i... more Nafion is one of the standard proton exchange membranes that serves as the electrolyte membrane in fuel cells. However, it has been found to chemically degrade over time due to the generation of harmful peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. Attack by such radicals on the Nafion side chains causes polymer chain unzipping, and the membrane loses its mechanical integrity over time [1]. Cerium is proven to be an effective radical scavenger due to rapid transition between its +3 and +4 oxidation states and regenerates swiftly in the fuel cell environment. However, over time, cerium migrates due to the electrochemical potential, high water flux, and ionic diffusion [2] [3]. To resolve this issue, we functionalized a fraction of the side chains of Nafion with crown ether to complex with cerium and thereby prevent its migration. Crown ether has shown the ability to enhance cerium stability in recent studies [4] [5]. Cerium complex formation with crown ether was studied using UV visible spectrosco...
ECS Meeting Abstracts
The use of clean hydrogen around the world is expected to significantly increase in the coming de... more The use of clean hydrogen around the world is expected to significantly increase in the coming decades as various countries move towards their carbon neutral goals. The United States has committed significant funds ($9.5 Billion over the next 5 years) to the demonstration of a clean hydrogen infrastructure with electrolysis ($1 Billion in research over the next 5 years) being one of the key enabling technologies. Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) for hydrogen production are expected to play a critical role in this transition to a hydrogen economy. The DOE has formed a consortium (H2NEW : Hydrogen from the next generation of electrolyzers of Water) to overcome technical barriers to affordable, reliable and efficient electrolyzer development. The consortium is working on various aspects of PEMWEs to improve their durability, decrease their cost, improve manufacturability and demonstrate economic feasibility. As part of this effort, the consortium is developing a...
Specific goals: • Develop a duty cycle representative of electrolyzer operation while capturing a... more Specific goals: • Develop a duty cycle representative of electrolyzer operation while capturing all degradation mechanisms • Develop component specific ASTs to evaluate the durability of individual components in a reasonable time period (1 week to 1 month)
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
A significant fraction of the solar radiation falling on photovoltaic (PV) panels gets converted ... more A significant fraction of the solar radiation falling on photovoltaic (PV) panels gets converted into heat thus reducing the efficiency of photovoltaic power plants. Generally the performance of PV panels falls by 0.5% for every degree rise in temperature, depending on the type of solar cells used. The temperature regulation of PV power systems therefore becomes important especially for areas experiencing consistently high temperatures to improve PV efficiency. The objective of the study is to review literature on photovoltaic cooling techniques using phase change materials (PCM) including PV-thermal systems and building integrated photovoltaic systems. The main aim is to identify important research areas to ensure reliable performance and commercially viability of the technology. Various parameters are required to be evaluated and optimized for the geographical location of interest to obtain the best output. Increase in electrical efficiency as high as 5% is observed with PV-PCM integrated systems. Study suggests that inorganic PCMs have a good potential for PV cooling. PCM based PV systems will be cost effective only for areas with high insolation year round with less inter-seasonal climatic variations. However, poor thermal conductivity and large undercooling are major problems associated with PCM. There are only few studies on performance testing, economic benefit identification, increase in PV panel lifetime and LCA analysis for testing the suitability of PCM as coolant for PV panels. In this study the research gaps are identified for follow up work. Market review suggests that PCM based PV cooling technology is not yet commercialized due to its inefficiency primarily because of technological challenges, high system costs and nonavailability of reliable operating designs. The study suggests that PCM is still not an economic cooling technique for PV systems and further research is required.
Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry