Speaker: Nicholas P. Stadie, Montana State University
Title: Surface Homogeneity as a Guiding Principle in Physisorptive Energy Storage Materials
Abstract: Homogeneity is a key factor in materials design of effective energy storage materials across numerous technologies. For physisorptive energy storage (e.g., of gas or fluid fuel on a porous surface or ion storage on a porous electrode), this implies that the material surface should be as homogeneous as possible with respect to structure and chemical composition. We demonstrate the effect of structural heterogeneity on deliverable gas storage by investigating methane adsorption on the surface of several porous carbon materials including activated carbons and zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC). The principles underlying effective methane adsorption on ZTC can readily be extended to other gases, and also to ion storage in supercapacitors or other electrochemical energy storage devices.