Polymer Plus Energy

Catalog description

Energy research has become the focus of the twenty-first century. This course is a special topic on polymers in the energy field and related applications. We primarily focus on polymers for solar cells, fuel cells, batteries, double layer electrochemical capacitors, dielectric capacitors, and wind energy. For solar cells, we will introduce conducting polymers and basic types of polymer solar cells. For fuel cells, we will introduce both proton- and hydroxide-exchange fuel cells. Fundamental issues of ion transport, water management, and fuel cell longevity will be introduced. For supercapacitors, we will introduce porous carbon structures and charge storage mechanism. For dielectric capacitors, we will introduce fundamental concepts in electrostatics, different types of polarization, and loss mechanism. For wind energy, we will introduce polymer composites for wind blades and polymer coatings. This course will combine lectures and contemporary literature reviews/essays.