| Project Detail |
Europe’s transition to a decarbonised energy system, as outlined in the EU Green Deal, will radically transform how the EU generates, distributes, stores, and consumes energy. It will require virtually carbon-free power generation, increased energy efficiency, and the deep decarbonisation of transport, buildings, and industry. Europe is further boosting its green hydrogen ambitions to secure energy independence following the global geopolitical tensions and market instability. The current need to decarbonise our economy makes the search of new methods crucial to use chemicals, such as ammonia, that can be produced and employed as carbon-free (COx) hydrogen carrier. Dr. Milan Vukšic (applicant) will design and additively manufacture a modular, monolithic, multiscale ceramic catalytic reactor for magnetically heated COx-free hydrogen production with the fully electrified decomposition of ammonia. The project will be carried out at the Institute Jozef Stefan and the National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia, under the supervision of Dr. Aljaž Ivekovic, Prof. Andraž Kocjan, and Prof. Blaž Likozar as consequence of a high level of interdisciplinary work. In contrast to the established stereolithography process, where ceramic filler particles are bound by a polymeric binder, the proposed project aims to form polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) structures by photopolymerisation of pre-ceramic polymers (PCPs) followed an additional heat treatment (pyrolysis) in collaboration with the TU Wien, supervised by Prof. Thomas Konegger. The main research focus will be on the additive manufacturing of ceramic catalytic reactor components with magnetic functionality induced by the in-situ formation of magnetic nanoparticles. The final goal of the project is to demonstrate the viability and advantages of the proposed approach for technical innovations and improvements in end systems that can use ammonia fuel. |
