Notre Dame’s Chem-E-Car team competes at AIChE student conference

The University of Notre Dame’s small-scale, chemically powered vehicle, the “Irish Good-bye,” was part of the 25^th Annual Chem-E-Car Competition Finals. The event took place during the 2023 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference in Orlando, Florida, in November.

The 10-member Notre Dame team brought home the “Safety and Chemical Engineering Education (SAChE) Award” for the best application of the principles of chemical process safety.

“Our car is custom 3D-printed and uses an aluminum-air battery,” said Brian Beas, senior and team president. “The battery consists of 64 cells each made of a carbon-plated mesh and an aluminum foil electrode separated by a paper membrane.”

The team uses a calibrated iodine clock reaction to act as the car’s brakes. When iodine molecules turn a clear solution opaque, light can no longer reach a photoresistor, and that signals a microprocessor to stop the flow of current to the motor. Internal friction then slows the car and brings it to a stop.

“To build the car, the team has to fully understand the chemistry — intended and unintended — that takes place in their car’s fuel cell as well as the stopping method,” said Troy Vogel, teaching professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and faculty advisor for the team.

“If things don’t go as planned on competition day, students quickly develop the problem-solving skills necessary to deal with the situation.”

At the conference poster competition where 460 students from around the country presented their research, senior John Sacris (advisor, William Schneider) took second place in the category of “Catalysis and Reaction Engineering,” and junior Evan Wood (advisor, William Phillip) took third in the “Separations” category.

— Karla Cruise, Notre Dame College of Engineering