Georgia Institute of Technology Materials Science and Engineering

Committee Members:

Prof. Meilin Liu, Advisor, MSE

Prof. Preet Singh, MSE

Prof. Hamid Garmestani, MSE

Prof. Faisal Alamgir, MSE

Prof. Thomas Fuller, CHBE

“Development of Novel Electrode and Catalyst Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells”

Abstract:

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising solution for a sustainable energy future because they can convert chemical energy from fuel and oxidant directly into electricity in the most efficient way. Currently, the commercialization of SOFCs is hindered by high operating temperatures (>750 °C), poor stability, and carbon deposition (coking) when operated on hydrocarbon fuels. One effective approach to address these problems is to develop novel electrode and catalyst materials with higher activity and better stability. This research proposal will focus on the design, optimization, and characterization of novel electrode materials for SOFCs.

The first objective is to develop novel cathode materials with high activity and stability. The research will focus on PrBaCo2O5+δ (PBCO) based materials with a double perovskite structure, which have shown promising performance as SOFC cathode materials. To improve the stability, less reducible cations will be doped into the PBCO crystal to suppress Ba segregation. To enhance the activity, cation non-stoichiometry will be created to optimize oxygen transport properties. Oxygen transport properties will be characterized by electrical conductivity relaxation (ECR) measurement. Electrochemical performance and stability will be tested on symmetrical cells and single cells of these novel cathode materials. The second objective is to develop novel anode catalyst materials with coking tolerance for SOFCs operated on hydrocarbon fuels. Novel anode catalyst materials will be optimized based on yttrium doped barium zirconate. Optimized catalyst materials will be applied on conventional single cells to improve the coking tolerance when operated on liquid hydrocarbon fuels (C8H18) during long-term operation. The reforming activity of catalyst materials will be monitored by a gas chromatography (GC) system. Finally, optimized catalyst materials will be incorporated to large-scale SOFCs to improve the power output.