Dr. Thomas Miebach
Thomas Miebach, brought up in Germany, received his Diplom Chemiker degree from the Univeristät Essen GHS, Essen, Germany, in 1989. He then moved to the United States and received his Ph.D. from Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY in 1994 under the mentorship of Professor Udo H. Brinker. After postdoctoral studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, in 1996 he joined the General Electric Company in the GE Plastics Division in Mt. Vernon, IN. Since 2000 he works at the Niskayuna, NY site of GE’s Global Research Center. His scientific and technical experiences are in the areas of physical-organic, polymer and material science. Prior to his current work at the Energy Frontier Research Center, he worked on composites for the wind industry, the development of expanding thermal plasma deposition processes and polymer formulation and processing. In addition to 14 peer-reviewed publications, Thomas also holds six issued US patents and three published patent applications.
Virtual hydrogen storage for fuel cells
The focus of our DOE funded Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on Electrocatalysis, Transport Phenomena and Materials is the exploration of the fundamental chemistry of electrocatalysis and ionic transport required for an new approach to energy storage, using a liquid organic carrier as a reversible 'virtual hydrogen storage' medium. This fundamental knowledge base will enable the technology development of an innovative high-density energy storage and conversion system combining the best properties of a fuel cell and a flow battery for stationary and mobile applications. The EFRC includes participation of scientists at Yale University, Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and GE Global Research.This presentation will give an introduction to the activities in this EFRC, an overview of the technical concept and a description of the research approach for the development and integration of three novel technical components – the organic carriers, electro(de)hydrogenation catalysts, and a compatible PEM.