Frictional and viscous effects during transport in nanopores. Gas mixtures exposed to materials containing molecular sized pores (nanopores) are adsorbed, forming states of matter not existing in the bulk. Differential forces acting on the components of mixtures promote industrially and environmentally important separations. However, transport of confined fluids has been poorly understood. Recently we have made progress using computer simulation, and have proposed a highly successful theory. ....Frictional and viscous effects during transport in nanopores. Gas mixtures exposed to materials containing molecular sized pores (nanopores) are adsorbed, forming states of matter not existing in the bulk. Differential forces acting on the components of mixtures promote industrially and environmentally important separations. However, transport of confined fluids has been poorly understood. Recently we have made progress using computer simulation, and have proposed a highly successful theory. These investigations have revealed the crucial role of scattering from the surface atoms of the confining solid. Theoretical investigation of single spherical species has been initiated, and extension to other species and to mixtures is now envisaged.Read moreRead less
Multicomponent Transport in Nanopores. Good understanding of transport mechanisms in nanopores is crucial to the successful application of numerous recently developed novel templated microporous and mesoporous materials. This project seeks to extend a new theory developed by the applicants for single component transport in cylindrical mesopores, to cylindrical micropores as well as to multicomponent adsorbates, in conjunction with experiments using microporous and mesoporous materials such as M ....Multicomponent Transport in Nanopores. Good understanding of transport mechanisms in nanopores is crucial to the successful application of numerous recently developed novel templated microporous and mesoporous materials. This project seeks to extend a new theory developed by the applicants for single component transport in cylindrical mesopores, to cylindrical micropores as well as to multicomponent adsorbates, in conjunction with experiments using microporous and mesoporous materials such as MCM-41, VPI-5 and AlPO4-5. The outcome will be a powerful new theory for a priori prediction of transport coefficients for multicomponent fluids in nanopores based on molecular level information alone, thereby overcoming the empiricism in existing models.Read moreRead less
Development of a Trickle Filter for Treating Sour Water from Oil Shale Processing Plants. Oil is extracted from oil shale by pyrolysing pre-dried crushed shale. Despite drying , the shale retains a residual moisture level of approximately 5% which ultimately ends up as an aqueous phase in the condensate stream from the pyrolysis process. This aqueous phase, know as sour water, contains a range of organic compounds, including carboxylic acids, nitorgen heterocyclics and ketones. This aim of thi ....Development of a Trickle Filter for Treating Sour Water from Oil Shale Processing Plants. Oil is extracted from oil shale by pyrolysing pre-dried crushed shale. Despite drying , the shale retains a residual moisture level of approximately 5% which ultimately ends up as an aqueous phase in the condensate stream from the pyrolysis process. This aqueous phase, know as sour water, contains a range of organic compounds, including carboxylic acids, nitorgen heterocyclics and ketones. This aim of this proposal is to develop trickle filters to treat the sour water. The biofilms that develop in trickle filters are ideal for supporting slow growing microbial species. Research is needed to transfer native microorganisms in the oil shale desposit to the durable gravels that will be used in the filter.Read moreRead less
High performance electrode materials for Reversible Solid Oxide Cells. This project aims to develop high-performance electrode materials used in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOC), which are a promising electrical energy storage technology. RSOC can work as solid oxide electrolysis cells for fuel production from electricity and as solid oxide fuel cells for electricity generation from fuel. The RSOC technology has the potential to provide a large-scale electrical energy storage solution for the ....High performance electrode materials for Reversible Solid Oxide Cells. This project aims to develop high-performance electrode materials used in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOC), which are a promising electrical energy storage technology. RSOC can work as solid oxide electrolysis cells for fuel production from electricity and as solid oxide fuel cells for electricity generation from fuel. The RSOC technology has the potential to provide a large-scale electrical energy storage solution for the widespread penetration of intermittent renewable energy resources into the electrical grid.Read moreRead less
Putting metal organic frameworks to work at interfaces. This project aims to develop new strategies to better synthesize ultrathin Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes by nanostructured and chemically functionalized substrates. MOF materials have enormous potential due to the extraordinary structural and chemical diversity of these crystalline microporous materials and their potential applications in gas storage, separation, catalysis and sensing. However, a major challenge is fabricating thi ....Putting metal organic frameworks to work at interfaces. This project aims to develop new strategies to better synthesize ultrathin Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes by nanostructured and chemically functionalized substrates. MOF materials have enormous potential due to the extraordinary structural and chemical diversity of these crystalline microporous materials and their potential applications in gas storage, separation, catalysis and sensing. However, a major challenge is fabricating thin robust MOF films or patterns on porous, flexible, and nonporous substrates, quickly and easily in order to construct useful devices. The project will grow ultrathin layers of molecular sieving and electroactive MOFs to produce technology platforms for large scale device manufacturing.Read moreRead less