WELCOME TO THE MUSTAIN LABORATORY FOR ENERGY STORAGE AND FUELS
The mission of our group is to push the boundaries of human knowledge - not as spectators, but as pioneers in electrochemical science and technology. We use that knowledge to create solutions that transform and improve our community. In that pursuit, we also seek to find the best version of ourselves.
RESEARCH AREAS
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BATTERIES
Modern society has a need (and growing thirst) for large amounts of electrical energy on-demand – and everywhere. We rely on our mobile devices more and more every day, and ask for them to be more than just a phone – they navigate our travels, keep us connected with our friends and families, and are increasingly sources to digest media and entertainment. In automotive applications, electrification of passenger vehicles will help reduce the total amount of energy required to travel as well as alleviate air pollution, especially in urban areas. At grid scale, batteries not only allow for storage of renewables, they also allow existing infrastructure to be used more efficiently as well as improve power quality and resiliency. For military applications, electrification means low noise power and extended mission life for soldiers and autonomous vehicles. Batteries are also ubiquitous in personal use and medical applications such as hearing aids, toys, flashlights and power tools. All of these applications require relatively large amounts of reliable power. Our projects focus on new materials and cell geometries that enable increased energy density and stability. In practical terms, these relate to increased operational times, reduced weight and longer life – both on the shelf and while in use.
HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS AND ELECTROLYZERS
Electrochemical energy conversion devices – fuel cells and electrolyzers – have the potential to provide clean, sustainable energy for grid and transportation applications in the 21st century and beyond. Electrolyzers produce hydrogen, which is not only promising energy carrier but also plays a critical role in many industries, including fertilizer production, metals manufacturing, and petrochemical processing to fuels and plastics. Low temperature polymer fuel cells convert hydrogen (and oxygen) into water and electricity, powering everything from forklifts to trucks, trains, and buildings. To support the widespread adoption and commercialization of these devices, our focus is to increase performance and durability while reducing costs. Our activities include: design and synthesis of novel electrocatalysts, electrode integration and optimization, understanding the effect of impurities on cell operation, characterizing behavior with in-situ and operando approaches, and creating new cell operating modes and geometries.
ELECTROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS
In the future, a wide range of chemicals and fuels will be produced through pathways that do not exist today, where petrochemical processing can be replaced with alternative feedstocks and direct electrochemical synthesis. Our team focuses on understanding the conversion of four strategic building block molecules – methane, carbon dioxide, ethanol and acetic acid – through partial oxidations to methanol, ethylene, and synthesis gas on select metal and oxide surfaces. We are unraveling the mechanistic pathways and the reaction dynamics of these two reactions with temperature, pressure and pH – meanwhile discovering the structure of reaction intermediates, quantifying reaction energetics and barriers, and controlling catalyst structure.
CONTACT US
Professor William E. Mustain
Department of Chemical Engineering
Swearingen Engineering Center
University of South Carolina
301 Main St.
Columbia, SC 29208
803-576-6393