Location

Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Atlantis/ Discovery Rooms

Start Date

28-4-1994 2:00 PM

End Date

28-4-1994 5:00 PM

Description

Electrochemical cells are among the technologies under consideration for gaseous oxygen concentration or enrichment in both aerospace and civilian applications. Current electrochemical technology involves the electro-reduction of molecular oxygen, O2, to water at one electrode, and the electro-oxidation of water to oxygen at the other. In terms of the overall chemical mechanism, this is a 4-electron, 4-proton process.

From an economic point of view, one would like to use as little energy as possible to effect oxygen transport. The simplest possible mechanistic scenario would be if the O-, reduction product is the superoxide ion, O2~, involving only a single electron exchange: O2 + e = O 2

Superoxide anion can be produced electrochemically via reduction of O 2 in an organic aprotic solvent, such as dimethyl formamide or acetonitrile. Moreover, production of superoxide via electrolysis is electrochemically reversible (i.e., the forward and reverse reaction is so rapid that it proceeds under diffusion control near the thermodynamic potential). Considerable energy savings may be realized if electrochemical O, transport could be performed using superoxide ion.

Comments

Research

Session Chairman: Bruce E. Melnick, Director of Process Improvement Technology, Lockheed Space Operations Company, Kennedy Space Center

Session Organizer: Jennifer K. Lewis, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, Kennedy Space Center

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Apr 28th, 2:00 PM Apr 28th, 5:00 PM

Paper Session III-A - Electrolytic Oxygen Enrichment Using Supernoxide Ion in a Solid Polymer Membrane Electrolyte

Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Atlantis/ Discovery Rooms

Electrochemical cells are among the technologies under consideration for gaseous oxygen concentration or enrichment in both aerospace and civilian applications. Current electrochemical technology involves the electro-reduction of molecular oxygen, O2, to water at one electrode, and the electro-oxidation of water to oxygen at the other. In terms of the overall chemical mechanism, this is a 4-electron, 4-proton process.

From an economic point of view, one would like to use as little energy as possible to effect oxygen transport. The simplest possible mechanistic scenario would be if the O-, reduction product is the superoxide ion, O2~, involving only a single electron exchange: O2 + e = O 2

Superoxide anion can be produced electrochemically via reduction of O 2 in an organic aprotic solvent, such as dimethyl formamide or acetonitrile. Moreover, production of superoxide via electrolysis is electrochemically reversible (i.e., the forward and reverse reaction is so rapid that it proceeds under diffusion control near the thermodynamic potential). Considerable energy savings may be realized if electrochemical O, transport could be performed using superoxide ion.

 

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