Syngas, from biomass or other carbon sources, can be used as a chemical reducing agent in metal oxide water splitting cycles, greatly reducing the temperatures needed for metal oxide reduction. Metal oxide water splitting cycles produce pure H2 that does not need to be separated from other gasses. Fe3O4, due to its relatively low reduction temperature (800 – 1200°C when reduced with syngas), is a good candidate for this system. However, sintering of iron particles at these temperatures creates a drastic loss of surface area resulting in decreasing reaction rates over time and incomplete reaction of the bulk material. Coating high surface area support materials with iron oxide using ALD has been proposed to mitigate sintering and allow complete and repeatable reactions. The objective of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of high temperature (800°C -1200°C) biomass syngas reduction and steam oxidation of thin film iron oxide (Fe3O4) deposited on high surface area solid substrates.
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