UC Santa Cruz

I will discuss the design of functional materials for energy conversion, storage, and CO2 capture projects. Chapter 1 introduces two different methods, 3D printing and freeze casting, to provide a desired structure to a material. Two different approaches of 3D printing will be explored: stereolithography and direct ink writing. We will also look at freeze casting as a method to introduce a templated structure, based on the formation of ice crystals, to a material. We will then discuss common drying methods coupled with these techniques to preserver the desired structure.Chapter 2 focuses on the development of a conductive 3D printable living ink containing Shewanella Oneidensis MR-1, for use as an organic matter oxidizing anode in a microbial fuel cell to generate bioelectricity. The capability of printing living and functional 3D bacterial structures could open new possibilities in design and fabrication of microbial devices as well as fundamental research on the interactions between different bacterial strains, electrode materials, and surrounding environments. In the second project shown in Chapter 3, I extend the synthetic capability to the high resolution direct-ink-write printing of resorcinol-formaldehyde based materials. Highly conductive carbon scaffolds with well-defined porous structures can be derived from these 3D printed polymer materials via a combination of freeze drying and carbonization processes. 3D printed carbon structures can be implemented as a host material for lithium metal for use as an anode in solid-state batteries to improve their cyclability, safety and energy density. I will present some preliminary results on using cellulose-derived carbon materials for CO2 capture in Chapter 4. The goal is to improve the understanding of the inherent structure and composition of the cellulose-carbon materials interplay with their CO2 capture ability. The cellulose material will be used without chemical modifications to the starting cellulose material. CO2 capture will be achieved through the inherit surface functional groups and structure which can be introduced via freeze casting. In Chapter 5 I will present an intensive literature review to show the current state of reactive capture technologies. Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and CO2 conversion have traditionally been treated as distinct application areas with non-overlapping research programs. However, the integration of capture and conversion processes presents an opportunity to eliminate energy penalties, costs, and logistical hurdles inherent in the separation of CO2 from mixed gas streams, regeneration of the capture material/solvent, compression of CO2, and transport to a conversion facility. By integrating the two processes, which we term “reactive capture”, CO2 can be separated from a mixed gas stream and converted to valuable products using process steps that eliminate sorbent regeneration, CO2 compression, and transportation.