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Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2018) | Viewed by 25912

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Interests: solid oxide fuel cell; electrochemistry; crystallography; ion transport
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alternative methods to generate electricity with high efficiency, minimum greenhouse gases and less reliance on fossil fuels need to be sought to sustain a growing society. Fuel cells have been shown as a potential candidate for various applications, such as stationary and portable devices. This Special Issue discusses the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, one of many types of fuel cells found in the market. SOFC offers many practical advantages despite the lower open circuit voltage as the expensive precious metals can be replaced by more earth-abundant oxides and it is more tolerant towards carbon monoxide. In addition, fuel cell-combined heat and power applications can achieve even higher efficiency. We invite scientists working in the area of to contribute:

  • Material selection and design (cathode, electrolyte, anode, interconnect, sealant)
  • Electrochemical, material and mechanical characterization
  • Stack configuration and design
  • Transport (ion, electron, mass transport)
  • Reliability and degradation
  • Modelling
  • Application of solid oxide fuel cells

Dr. Stevin Snellius Pramana
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • solid oxide fuel cell
  • electrochemistry
  • ion and electron transport
  • modeling
  • combined heat and power
  • clean energy
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 1749 KiB  
Article
A New Model for Constant Fuel Utilization and Constant Fuel Flow in Fuel Cells
by Uday K. Chakraborty
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(6), 1066; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9061066 - 14 Mar 2019
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5840
Abstract
This paper presents a new model of fuel cells for two different modes of operation: constant fuel utilization control (constant stoichiometry condition) and constant fuel flow control (constant flow rate condition). The model solves the long-standing problem of mixing reversible and irreversible potentials [...] Read more.
This paper presents a new model of fuel cells for two different modes of operation: constant fuel utilization control (constant stoichiometry condition) and constant fuel flow control (constant flow rate condition). The model solves the long-standing problem of mixing reversible and irreversible potentials (equilibrium and non-equilibrium states) in the Nernst voltage expression. Specifically, a Nernstian gain term is introduced for the constant fuel utilization condition, and it is shown that the Nernstian gain is an irreversibility in the computation of the output voltage of the fuel cell. A Nernstian loss term accounts for an irreversibility for the constant fuel flow operation. Simulation results are presented. The model has been validated against experimental data from the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology)
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11 pages, 3989 KiB  
Article
A Theoretical Model for the Triple Phase Boundary of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrospun Electrodes
by Wei Kong, Mengtong Zhang, Zhen Han and Qiang Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(3), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9030493 - 31 Jan 2019
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4812
Abstract
Electrospinning is a new state-of-the-art technology for the preparation of electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Electrodes fabricated by this method have been proven to have an experimentally superior performance compared with traditional electrodes. However, the lack of a theoretic model for [...] Read more.
Electrospinning is a new state-of-the-art technology for the preparation of electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Electrodes fabricated by this method have been proven to have an experimentally superior performance compared with traditional electrodes. However, the lack of a theoretic model for electrospun electrodes limits the understanding of their benefits and the optimization of their design. Based on the microstructure of electrospun electrodes and the percolation threshold, a theoretical model of electrospun electrodes is proposed in this study. Electrospun electrodes are compared to fibers with surfaces that were coated with impregnated particles. This model captures the key geometric parameters and their interrelationship, which are required to derive explicit expressions of the key electrode parameters. Furthermore, the length of the triple phase boundary (TPB) of the electrospun electrode is calculated based on this model. Finally, the effects of particle radius, fiber radius, and impregnation loading are studied. The theory model of the electrospun electrode TPB proposed in this study contributes to the optimization design of SOFC electrospun electrode. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology)
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10 pages, 4421 KiB  
Article
Morphology and Structure of Ni/Zr0.84Sc0.16O1.92 Electrode Material Synthesized via Glycine-Nitrate Combustion Method for Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cell
by Renz Marion Garcia and Rinlee Butch Cervera
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9020264 - 13 Jan 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4153
Abstract
Nickel oxide and Sc-doped ZrO2 electrode material with a 1:1 wt % composition of NiO and Zr0.84Sc0.16O1.92 was synthesized via a single-step glycine-nitrate combustion method. Different glycine to nitrate (g/n) molar ratios of 0.27, 0.54, and 1.1 [...] Read more.
Nickel oxide and Sc-doped ZrO2 electrode material with a 1:1 wt % composition of NiO and Zr0.84Sc0.16O1.92 was synthesized via a single-step glycine-nitrate combustion method. Different glycine to nitrate (g/n) molar ratios of 0.27, 0.54, and 1.1 were used to investigate its effect on the structural, morphological, and electrical properties of the heat-treated samples. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the as-sintered samples for all the g/n ratios were indexed to cubic phases of NiO and ScSZ. Upon reduction at 700 °C, NiO was fully reduced to Ni. In-situ XRD patterns showed that the composite Ni/Zr0.84Sc0.16O1.92 electrode material retains its cubic structure at intermediate temperatures from 500 °C to 800 °C. High magnification scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that nanoparticles of Ni are also formed and situated at the surfaces of ScSZ grains, apart from agglomerated submicron particles of Ni. SEM and electron-dispersive spectroscopy mapping revealed interconnected grains of ScSZ oxide-ion conducting phase. From the calculated conductivity based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, the 0.27 g/n ratio showed an order of magnitude-higher total conductivity among the other prepared samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology)
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18 pages, 1150 KiB  
Article
Adaptive Tracking Constrained Controller Design for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Based on a Wiener-Type Neural Network
by Yan Xia, Jianxiao Zou, Wenxu Yan and Huayin Li
Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(10), 1758; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8101758 - 28 Sep 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3252
Abstract
In order to solve the control problem of the solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC), a novel adaptive tracking constrained control strategy based on a Wiener-type neural network is proposed in this paper. The working principle of SOFC is introduced, and the dynamical model of [...] Read more.
In order to solve the control problem of the solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC), a novel adaptive tracking constrained control strategy based on a Wiener-type neural network is proposed in this paper. The working principle of SOFC is introduced, and the dynamical model of SOFC is studied. Besides, a Wiener model formulation for SOFC is proposed to approximate the nonlinear dynamics of the system, and an adaptive Wiener model identification method is utilized to identify the parameters of the model. Moreover, an adaptive exponential PID controller is designed to keep the stack output voltage stable. Meanwhile, the saturation problem is considered in the paper including input magnitude and rate constraints. Additionally, an anti-windup compensator is employed to eliminate the abominable influence of the saturation problem. Then, the stability of the control plant is analyzed and proven via the Lyapunov function. Finally, the simulation based on the MATLAB/Simulink environment is carried out, and the conventional PID controller is added and simulated as a contrast to verify the control performance of the proposed control algorithm. The results indicate that the proposed control algorithm possesses favorable control performance when dealing with nonlinear systems with complex dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology)
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Review

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22 pages, 4703 KiB  
Review
Controlling the Oxygen Electrocatalysis on Perovskite and Layered Oxide Thin Films for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes
by Gene Yang, Wonsang Jung, Sung-Jin Ahn and Dongkyu Lee
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9051030 - 12 Mar 2019
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7067
Abstract
Achieving the fast oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is indispensable to enhance the efficiency of SOFCs at intermediate temperatures. Mixed ionic and electronic conducting (MIEC) oxides such as ABO3 perovskites and Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) [...] Read more.
Achieving the fast oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is indispensable to enhance the efficiency of SOFCs at intermediate temperatures. Mixed ionic and electronic conducting (MIEC) oxides such as ABO3 perovskites and Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) oxides (A2BO4) have been widely used as promising cathode materials owing to their attractive physicochemical properties. In particular, oxides in forms of thin films and heterostructures have enabled significant enhancement in the ORR activity. Therefore, we aim to give a comprehensive overview on the recent development of thin film cathodes of SOFCs. We discuss important advances in ABO3 and RP oxide thin film cathodes for SOFCs. Our attention is also paid to the influence of oxide heterostructure interfaces on the ORR activity of SOFC cathodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell Technology)
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