| 1. |
- Fan, Liangdong, 1985-
(författare)
-
Development and characterization of functional composite materials for advanced energy conversion technologies
- 2013
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a potential high efficient electrochemical device for vehicles, auxiliary power units and large-scale stationary power plants combined heat and power application. The main challenges of this technology for market acceptance are associated with cost and lifetime due to the high temperature (700-1000 oC) operation and complex cell structure, i.e. the conventional membrane electrode assemblies. Therefore, it has become a top R&D goal to develop SOFCs for lower temperatures, preferably below 600 oC. To address those above problems, within the framework of this thesis, two kinds of innovative approaches are adopted. One is developing functional composite materials with desirable electrical properties at the reduced temperature, which results of the research on ceria-based composite based low temperature ceramic fuel cell (LTCFC). The other one is discovering novel energy conversion technology - Single-component/ electrolyte-free fuel cell (EFFC), in which the electrolyte layer of conventional SOFC is physically removed while this device still exhibits the fuel cell function. Thus, the focus of this thesis is then put on the characterization of materials physical and electrochemical properties for those advanced energy conversion applications. The major scientific content and contribution to this challenging field are divided into four aspects except the Introduction, Experiments and Conclusions parts. They are:Continuous developments and optimizations of advanced electrolyte materials, ceria-carbonate composite, for LTCFC. An electrolysis study has been carried out on ceria-carbonate composite based LTCFC with cheap Ni-based electrodes. Both oxygen ion and proton conductance in electrolysis mode are observed. High current outputs have been achieved at the given electrolysis voltage below 600 oC. This study also provides alternative manner for high efficient hydrogen production. Compatible and high active electrode development for ceria-carbonate composite electrolyte based LTCFC. A symmetrical fuel cell configuration is intentionally employed. The electro-catalytic activities of novel symmetrical transition metal oxide composite electrode toward hydrogen oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction have been experimentally investigated. In addition, the origin of high activity of transition metal oxide composite electrode is studied, which is believed to relate to the hydration effect of the composite oxide.A novel all-nanocomposite fuel cell (ANFC) concept proposal and feasibility demonstration. The ANFC is successfully constructed by Ni/Fe-SDC anode, SDC-carbonate electrolyte and lithiated NiO/ZnO cathode at an extremely low in-situ sintering temperature, 600 oC. The ANFC manifests excellent fuel cell performance (over 550 mWcm-2 at 600 oC) and a good short-term operation as well as thermo-cycling stability. All results demonstrated its feasibility and potential for energy conversion.Fundamental study results on breakthrough research Single-Component/Electrolyte-Free Fuel Cell (EFFC) based on above nanocomposite materials (ion and semi-conductive composite) research activities. This is also the key innovation point of this thesis. Compared with classic three-layer fuel cells, EFFC with an electrolyte layer shows a much simpler but more efficient way for energy conversion. The physical-electrical properties of composite, the effects of cell configuration and parameters on cell performance, materials composition and cell fabrication process optimization, micro electrochemical reaction process and possible working principle were systematically investigated and discussed. Besides, the EFFC, joining solar cell and fuel cell working principle, is suggested to provide a research platform for integrating multi-energy-related device and technology application, such as fuel cell, electrolysis, solar cell and micro-reactor etc.This thesis provides a new methodology for materials and system innovation for the fuel cell community, which is expected to accelerate the wide implementation of this high efficient and green fuel cell technology and open new horizons for other related research fields.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ma, Ying, 1983-
(författare)
-
Ceria-based Nanostructured Materials for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
- 2012
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As one of the most efficient and environmentally benign energy conversion devices, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) have attracted much attention in recent years. Conventional SOFC with yttria-stabilized zirconia as electrolyte require high operation temperature (800-1000 °C), which causes significant problems like material degradation, as well as other technological complications and economic barrier for wider applications. Therefore, there is a broad interest in reducing the operation temperature of SOFCs. One of the most promising ways to develop low-temperature SOFCs (LTSOFC) is to explore effective materials for each component with improved properties. So in this thesis, we are aiming to design and fabricate ceria-based nanocomposite materials for electrolyte and electrodes of LTSOFC by a novel nanocomposite approach. In the first part of the thesis, novel core-shell doped ceria/Na2CO3 nanocomposite was fabricated and investigated as electrolytes materials of LTSOFC. Two types of doped ceria were selected as the main phase for nanocomposite: samarium doped ceria (SDC) and calcium doped ceria (CDC). The core-shell SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite particles are smaller than 100 nm with amorphous Na2CO3 shell of 4~6 nm in thickness. The ionic conductivity of nanocomposite electrolytes were investigated by EIS and four-probe d.c. method, which demonstrated much enhanced ionic conductivities compared to the single phase oxides. The thermal stability of such nanocomposite has also been investigated based on XRD, BET, SEM and TGA characterization after annealing samples at various temperatures. Such nanocomposite was applied in LTSOFCs with an excellent power density of 0.8 Wcm-2 at 550 °C. The high performances together with notable thermal stability prove the doped ceria/Na2CO3 nanocomposite as a potential electrolyte material for long-term LTSOFCs. In the second part of the thesis, a novel template-, surfactant-free chemical synthetic route has been successfully developed for the controlled synthesis of hierarchically structured CeO2 with nanowires and mesoporous microspheres morphologies. The new synthetic route was designed by utilizing the chelate formation between cerium ion and various carboxylates forms of citric acid. Then, hierarchically structured cerium oxide with morphologies of nanowires and mesoporous microspheres can be obtained by thermal decomposition of the two kinds of precursors. Moreover, by doping with desired elements, SDC nanowires and SDC-CuO mesoporous microspheres were prepared and used for electrolyte and anode materials, respectively, based on their unique properties depending on their morphologies. When SDC nanowires/Na2CO3 composite were applied as electrolyte for single SOFC, and it exhibited maximum power density of 522 mWcm-2 at 600 °C, which is much better than the state-of-the-art SOFCs using doped ceria as electrolytes. Besides, the mesoporous CuO-SDC composite anode was synthesized by our microwave-assisted method, which shows good phase homogeneity of both SDC and CuO. When it was applied for fuel cells, the cell had better performance than conventional CuO-SDC anode prepared by solid state method. The whole work of this thesis aims to provide a new methodology for the entire SOFC community. It is notable that our work has attracted considerable attention after publication of several attached papers. The results in this thesis may benefit the development of LTSOFC and expand the related research to a new horizon.
|
|
| 3. |
- Raza, Rizwan, 1980-
(författare)
-
Functional nanocomposites for advanced fuel cell technology and polygeneration
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In recent decades, the use of fossil fuels has increased exponentially with a corresponding sharp increase in the pollution of the environment. The need for clean and sustainable technologies for the generation of power with reduced or zero environment impact has become critical. A number of attempts have been made to address this problem; one of the most promising attempts is polygeneration. Polygeneration technology is highly efficient and produces lower emissions than conventional methods of power generation because of the simultaneous generation of useable heat and electrical power from a single source of fuel. The overall efficiency of such systems can be as high as 90%, compared to 30-35% for conventional single-product power plants.A number of different technologies are available for polygeneration, such as micro gas turbines, sterling engines, solar systems, and fuel cells. Of these, fuel cell systems offer the most promising technology for polygeneration because of their ability to produce electricity and heat at a high efficiency (about 80%) with either low or zero emissions. Various fuel-cell technologies can be used in polygeneration systems. Of these, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are the most suitable because they offer high system efficiency for the production of electricity and heat (about 90%) coupled with low or zero emissions. Compared to other types of fuel cells, SOFCs have fuel flexibility (direct operation on hydrocarbon fuels, such as biogas, bio-ethanol, bio-methanol, etc.) and produce high-quality heat energy. The development of polygeneration systems using SOFCs has generally followed one of two approaches. The first approach involves the design of a SOFC system that operates at a temperature of 850 oC and uses natural gas as a fuel. The second approach uses low-temperature (generally 400-600 oC) SOFC (LTSOFC) systems with biomass, e.g., syngas or liquid fuels, such as bio-methanol and bio-ethanol. The latter systems have strong potential for use in polygeneration.High-temperature SOFCs have obvious disadvantages, and challenges remain for lowering the cost to meet commercial interest. The SOFC systems need lower operating temperatures to reduce their overall costs.This thesis focuses on the development of nanocomposites for advanced fuel-cell technology (NANOCOFC), i.e., the next generation SOFCs, which are low-temperature (400-600 oC), marketable, and affordable SOFCs. In addition, new concepts that pertain to fuel-cell science and technology—NANOCOFC (www.nanocofc.com)—are explored and developed. The content of this thesis is divided into five parts:In the first part of this thesis (Papers 1-5), the two-phase nanocomposite electrolytes, viz. ceria-salt and ceria-oxide, were prepared and studied using different electrochemical techniques. The microstructure and morphology of the composite electrolytes were characterised using XRD, SEM and TEM, and the thermal analysis was conducted using DSC. An ionic conductivity of 0.1 S/cm was obtained at 300 ºC, which is comparable to that of conventional YSZ operating at 1000 ºC. The maximum output power density was 1000 mW/cm2 at 550 oC. A co-doped ceria-carbonate was also developed to improve the ionic conductivity, morphology, and performance of the electrolyte.In the second part of this thesis (Papers 7-9), composite electrodes that contained less or no nickel (Ni) were developed for a low-temperature SOFC. All of the elements were highly homogenously distributed in the composite electrode, which resulted in high catalytic activity and good ASOFC performance. The substitution of Ni by Zn in these electrodes could reduce their cost by a factor of approximately 25.In the third part of this thesis (Papers 10), an advanced multi-fuelled solid-oxide fuel cell (ASOFC) with functional nanocomposites (electrolytes and electrodes) was developed. Several different types of fuel, such as gaseous (hydrogen and biogas) and liquid fuels (bio-ethanol and bio-methanol), were tested. Maximum power densities of 1000, 300, 600, and 550 mW/cm2 were achieved with hydrogen, bio-gas, bio-methanol, and bio-ethanol, respectively, in the ASOFC. Electrical and total efficiencies of 54% and 80%, respectively, were achieved when the single cell was used with hydrogen.The fourth part of this thesis (Papers 11) concerns the design of a 5 kW ASOFC system based on the demonstrated advanced SOFC technology. A polygeneration system based on a low-temperature planar SOFC was then designed and simulated. The efficiency of the overall system was approximately 80%.The fifth part of this thesis (Paper 12) describes a single-layer multi-fuelled electrolyte-free fuel cell that is a revolutionary innovation in renewable-energy sources. Conventional fuel cells generate electricity by ion transport through the electrolyte. However, this new device works without an electrolyte, and all of the processes occur at particle surfaces in the material. Based on a theoretical calculation, an additional 18% enhancement of the fuel cell’s efficiency will be achieved using this new technology compared to the conventional technologies.Our developed ASOFC systems with functional nanocomposites offer significant advantages in reducing the operational and capital costs for the production of power and heat by using different fuels based on the fuel-cell technology. ASOFC systems can be used for polygeneration with renewable fuels (i.e., biomass fuels) at high efficiency as a sustainable solution to energy generation in our society. The results have been achieved for this thesis work has demonstrated an advanced fuel cell technology.
|
|
| 4. |
- Wang, Xiaodi, 1981-
(författare)
-
Dual-ion Conducting Nanocompoiste for Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
- 2012
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are considered as one of the most promising power generation technologies due to their high energy conversion efficiency, fuel flexibility and reduced pollution. There is a broad interest in reducing the operating temperature of SOFCs. The key issue to develop low-temperature (300~600 °C) SOFCs (LTSOFCs) is to explore new electrolyte materials. Recently, ceria-based composite electrolytes have been developed as capable alternative electrolyte for LTSOFCs. The ceria-based composite electrolyte has displayed high ionic conductivity and excellent fuel cell performance below 600 °C, which has opened up a new horizon in the LTSOFCs field. In this thesis, we are aiming at exploring nanostructured composite materials for LTSOFCs with superior properties, investigating the detailed conduction mechanism for their enhanced ionic conductivity, and extending more suitable composite system and nanostructure materials.In the first part, core-shell samarium doped ceria-carbonate nanocomposite (SDC/Na2CO3) was synthesized for the first time. The core-shell nanocomposite was composed of SDC particles smaller than 100 nm coated with amorphous Na2CO3 shell. The nanocomposite has been applied in LTSOFCs with excellent performance. A freeze dry method was used to prepare the SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposites, aiming to further enhance its phase homogeneity. The ionic conduction behavior of the SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite has been studied. The results indicated that H+ conductivity in the nanocomposite is predominant over O2- conductivity with 1-2 orders of magnitude in the temperature range of 200-600 °C, indicating the proton conduction in the nanocomposite mainly accounts for the enhanced total ionic conductivity. The influence of Na2CO3 content to the proton and oxygen ion conductivity in the nanocomposite was studied as well.In the second part, both the proton and oxygen ion conduction mechanisms have been studied. It is suggested that the interface in the nanocomposite electrolyte supplies high conductive path for the proton, while oxygen ions are probably transported by the SDC grain interiors. An empirical “Swing Model” has been proposed as a possible mechanism of superior proton conduction, while oxygen ion conduction is attributed to oxygen vacancies through SDC grain in nanocomposite electrolyte.In the final part, a novel concept of non-ceria-salt-composites electrolyte, LiAlO2-carbonate composite electrolyte, has been investigated for LTSOFCs. The LiAlO2-carbonate electrolyte exhibits good conductivity and excellent fuel cell performances below 650 °C. The work not only developed a more stable composite material, but also strongly demonstrated that the high ionic conductivity is mainly related to interface effect between oxide and carbonate. As a potential candidate for nanocomposite, uniform quasi-octahedral CeO2 mesocrystals was synthesized in this thesis work as well. The CeO2 mesocrystals shows excellent thermal stability, and display potential for fuel cell applications.
|
|
