Faculty > Raymond J. Gorte

Raymond J. Gorte

Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Graduate Group Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 1976
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1981

email:
phone: 215-898-4439
fax: 215-573-2093

Current Focus of Research
Honors and Awards
Research Group
Selected Publications

Current Focus of Research

Studies of Ceria-Based Catalyst
(this link will take you to the pdf versin of a PowerPoint presentation)

Although Cerium is one of the "rare-earth" elements, it is not rare and is indeed an important component of three-way, automotive catalysts, where it provides oxygen storage capacity that allows control of the exhaust oxygen stoichiometry. The same properties which give oxygen storage capacity allow ceria-supported metals to have exceptional properties for reactions like steam reforming and water-gas shift. Ceria is also very sensitive to pretreatment conditions and doping, allowing its catalytic properties to be modified dramatically. We are studying these properties at a fundamental level to understand why they work so well and to enhance their performance for reactions that are crucial for fuel processing to produce hydrogen. Part of this work involves developing techniques for measuring the thermodynamics of redox reactions of oxide catalysts..

Anodes for Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells
(this link will take you to the pdf version of a PowerPoint presentation)

Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) are attractive for a wide range of applications, from battery replacements, to automotive auxiliary power units, to large-scale electrical power generation. In SOFCs, oxygen anions are transported through an oxide membrane and react with the fuel at the anode. A major problem is that typical anode materials can only operate with hydrogen, so that practical fuels, like methane and diesel fuel, must first be reformed to hydrogen. This imposes severe limitations on the operating conditions and can result in a large efficiency loss if reforming is performed with oxygen, the typical process for liquid fuels. We are using concepts developed from our program in automotive catalysis to synthesize anodes which are active for the direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels. This work involves building model SOFCs and performing spectroscopic studies of the anodes.

Honors & Awards:

• Barnett F. Dodge Lecture, Yale University, March 5, 2003
• Penn Engineering Distinguished Research Award, 2001
• Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor, 2001
• North American Catalysis Society's Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis, 1999
• Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award, 1998
• Giuseppe Parravano Memorial Award of the Michigan Catalysis Society, 1997
• Carl V.S. Patterson Professor of Chemical Engineering, 1996-2001

Research Group:

• Current PhD Students
• G. Zhou
• P. R. Shah
• F. Bidrawn
• N. Aramrueang
• K. Bakhmutsky
• Current Postdoctoral Fellows
• G. Kim
• L. Woo
• S. Lee

Selected Publications:

"Efficient reduction of CO₂ in a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer", F. Bidrawn, G. Kim, G. Corre, J. T. S. Irvine, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Electrochemical and Solid State Letters, 11 (2008) B167-70.

"Enhanced Reducibility of Ceria-YSZ Composites in Solid Oxide Electrodes", G. Kim, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 18 (2008) 2386-90.

 "The Effect of Ca, Sr, and Ba Doping on the Ionic Conductivity and Cathode Performance of LaFeO₃", F. Bidrawn, S. Lee, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 155 (2008) B660-5.

SOFC Anodes Based on LST-YSZ Composites and on Y_0.04Ce_0.48Zr_0.48O₂", G. Kim, M. D. Gross, W. Wang, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 155 (2008) B360-B366.

 "A Thermodynamic Investigation of the Redox Properties of Ceria-Titania Mixed Oxides", G. Zhou, R. J. Gorte, and J. Hanson, Applied Catalysis A, 335 (2008) 153-158.

"A Comparison of the Redox Properties of Vanadia-Based Mixed Oxides", P. R. Shah, M. M. Khader, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 112 (2008) 2613-2617.

 "A Study of Cerium-Manganese Mixed Oxides For Oxidation Catalysis", G. Zhou, P. R. Shah, and R. J. Gorte, Catalysis Letters, 120 (2008) 191-197.

 "Analysis of the Performance of the Anode and Cathode in a Natural Gas Assisted Steam Electrolysis Cell", W. Wang, R. J. Gorte, and J. M. Vohs, Chemical Engineering Science, 63 (2008) 765-69.

 "Engineering Composite Oxide SOFC Anodes for Efficient Oxidation of Methane", G. Kim, G. Corre, J. T. S. Irvine, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Electrochemical & Solid State Letters, 11 (2008) B16-19.

 "Effect of Electrode Composition and Microstructure on Impedancemetric Nitric Oxide Sensors based on YSZ Electrolyte", L. Y. Woo, L. P. Martin, R. S. Glass, W. Wang, S. Jung, R. J. Gorte, E. P. Murray, R. F. Novak, J. H. Visser, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 155 (2008) J32-J40.