Abstract:  Hydrogen is a clean and versatile energy carrier whose production through water splitting offers a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Efficient separation of the reaction products, hydrogen and oxygen, is critical to enhancing yield. This study investigates the use of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) membranes, known for their high oxygen permeation flux, to facilitate in-situ oxygen removal during water splitting. A stable BSCF membrane was developed to enable simultaneous hydrogen generation on the feed side and oxygen permeation on the sweep side. To boost catalytic activity, the membrane surface was modified with a cerium-based compound (BaCe0.2Fe0.8), further enhanced by incorporating 1 wt% ruthenium. Under optimized conditions, this system achieved a maximum hydrogen production rate of 0.85 μmol/cm²·s at 945 °C.

About the Speaker:  Dr. Mezghani is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at PMU, recently joining from KFUPM. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees from the University of Tennessee, USA, and has over 26 years of experience in research and teaching. His work focuses on the structure–property relationships of materials, with expertise in polymers, composites, and ion transport membranes (ITM). He has led numerous funded projects supported by KACST, NSTP, SABIC, and ARAMCO, and collaborated with MIT on clean energy applications. At KFUPM, he has established three major labs and contributed to advancements in hydrogen production, gas separation membranes, carbon fiber production, and carbon nanotube synthesis. He holds several U.S. patents, has published over 65 peer-reviewed papers, and was honored with the Best Teaching Award in 2010.