Research Topics

Toshiaki KITAGAWA(Professor)

Faculty of Engineering

Graduate School of Engineering

Reactive Gas Dynamics Laboratory

Advanced Hydrogen Energy System Lab

Hiroaki WATANABE

Yukihide NAGANO（Associate Professor）(Assistant Professor)

Akari HAYASHI(Professor)

Fuel Cell Research for Vehicles▶http://www.mech.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~rgd/index-j.html

In our laboratory, fuel cells and related technologies for FCVs
are focused on. We have been particularly working on novel
electrocatalysts, which play a most important role for fuel cell
performance, with following approaches.

Towards Smart Utilization of Combustion Energy“Reactive Gas Dynamics”is a study field of gas dynamics that deals with reactive
flows, such as combustion. Combustion phenomena are studied in our Reactive Gas
Dynamics Laboratory. Huge amount of energy is utilized by combustion of fuel in theworld. And the demand for energy is still growing. It is very important to understandcombustion properties of fuels for the global warming and energy issue.
Combustion properties of fuel affect the performance of combustors, such asengines. We investigate the fundamental and practical aspects of combustion
properties and techniques by experiments using an apparatus unique in the worldand numerical simulation towards the smart utilization of combustion energy. Ourinterests include not only conventional fuels but also alternative and next-generation
fuels such as carbon neutral biomass, coal gasification gas and hydrogen. Ourstudies contribute to the developments of automobile engines, electric power plants
and combustors in industries.

Fig. 1 Flame
Visualization by
Laser Tomography

Hydrogen
Propaneflame
flame
Fig. 2 Comparison ofHydrogen Flame with
Hydrocarbon Flame・Encapsulation of Pt into nano-channels to suppress Pt aggregation,
leading to high activity and durability
・Graphitization of carbon surface, leading to increased tolerance
to carbon oxidation
・Investigation of electrodedegradation at higher
temperature operation

Pt・Investigation of degradation
mechanism by In-situ SEM/TEM

50 nm
Experiment

Simulation

Hydrogen jet

Experiment

Carbon Materials with Nano-channels

Simulation

Combustion of jet

Fig. 3 Hydrogen Jet and its
Combustion

Faculty of Engineering

International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER)

Advanced Hydrogen Materials Laboratory

Electrochemical Energy Conversion Research Division

Shin NISHIMURAHiroshige Matsumoto(Professor)(Professor)

Influence of High Pressure Hydrogen Gas on
Rubber and Polymeric Materials.

Hydrogen production and energy conversion
via electrochemistry

Rubber and polymeric materials are used as sealing devices of high-pressure hydrogengas in equipment for hydrogen energy systems. For example, rubber O-rings for hydrogengas sealing can be broken by highpressure hydrogen exposure, as
shown in the figure below.
In our laboratory, we are going
to clarify the fracture phenomenonof rubber and polymeric materials
exposed to high-pressure hydrogengas. In order to clarify the influenceof dissolved hydrogen on thefracture behavior of the materials,
we have been performing thermal
desorption analyses and nuclear
magnetic resonance measurementsof the dissolved hydrogen gas in thematerials. To establish material design
guidelines for high-pressure hydrogensealing materials, we are continuously
discussing the relationship between
fracture behavior of the materials
and their composition or molecular Three fracture modes of rubber O -ring after repeating
high-pressure hydrogen gas exposure.
structure.

Electrochemistry plays an important roles for conversion between electricand chemical energies, e.g. fuel cells and electrolysis. Research on solidstate ion conductors have been conducted. Namely, proton-conducting
oxides that operate at 400 ～ 800 ℃ and metal oxide nanoparticles
which conducts protons on the surface are studied for the fundamental
understanding as well as for technological applications. Water/steam
electrolysis is one of the major topics from a view point of utilizing
renewable energies.

Proton conducting oxides

6Surface-proton conducting
nanoparticles