CIPHER

Clean and Vertically-Integrated Pure/Applied Hydrogen Energy Research for Next Generation Power Systems

April 18, 2022 – April 17, 2024

The Laboratory of Electrochemical Engineering, in collaboration with others both in and out of the country has, for the past years investigated several alternative oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction (ORR/OER) catalyst materials using theoretical and experimental studies. Project CIPHER was built up based on these experiences and will constitute an extension of these efforts.

Project CIPHER utilizes a vertically integrated approach in the research and development of fuel cell technology and related energy systems. In addition to the novel electrocatalyst development and fuel cell systems studies, hybrid energy systems modelling are also being explored to evaluate the techno-economical potential of large-scale electrical energy storage systems deployment in the country.

The project team has close collaboration with UC Merced in every step of the research. The project framework also includes further training of young scientists and engineers through study and collaboration visits in California, research workshops and schools in the Philippines, and participation in local and international research.

Project CIPHER will develop hydrogen and fuel cell-related technologies by addressing key areas in energy research, combining computational and experimental approaches from the molecular scale, to materials and cell level scale, to device level scale, and to energy system scale. Specifically, the project aims to:

Develop and discover novel materials for electrocatalysts of fuel cells, hydrogen generators, and other energy storage technologies.
Develop a DC/DC converter prototype for hybrid power systems
Explore advanced simulations and modelling on hybrid energy systems to evaluate the techno-economical potential of large-scale electrical energy storage systems.
Provide science-based policy-enabling recommendations to government agencies in the area of renewable energy integration, energy storage, and rural electrification.

ChE 297 (Hydrogen and Fuel Cells) - New course offering on fuel cell science and technology

Students/Researchers of UP Diliman and CIPHER Project were onboarded on fuel science and technology.

Energy-X Summer School and Energy-X Mini-symposium

Young professionals and CIPHER researchers were introduced to Density Functional Theory, DFT-based calculations, and its application on energy storage research. After a series of online courses, the participants attended a mini-symposium which focused on the recent advances in computational discovery of energy materials.

Electrochemical Energy Storage Workshop/ Electrochemical Instrument Training

Research fellows and staff were introduced to the fundamentals of electrochemical characterization techniques. It also highlighted the live demonstration of sample preparation, data acquisition, and data analysis to the staff.

Materials Characterization Lecture and Workshop

XPectra: Unravelling Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion Devices through Advanced Characterization Techniques. It was a 3-day material characterization training that aims to broaden the knowledge and skill set of LEE research staff and students.

LEE Mini-Symposium

EXPANSE: Bridging Scientific Breakthroughs towards Sustainability was the first face-to-face general assembly conducted by the Laboratory of Electrochemical Engineering (LEE) since the pandemic started. Esteemed speakers were invited and shared their knowledge and expertise on advances in environmental and energy sustainability.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CIPHER.PCARI

Email: Prof. Joey D. Ocon, Ph.D. (Project Leader)