Materials World Networks: Proton Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Completed

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Stationary applications)
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Fuel Cells, Mobile applications)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr SJ Skinner
Materials
Imperial College London

Standard

EPSRC

01 August 2009

31 January 2013

42 months

£1

No relevance to Underpinning Sectors

London

Physical Sciences

Dr SJ Skinner, Materials, Imperial College London

Professor NP Brandon, Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
Dr D Brett, Chemical Engineering, University College London

Project Contact, Research Partner in China

With our increasing concern for renewable energy generation and the imminent deployment of fuel cell technology, efficient generation of hydrogen as an energy carrier is of growing importance. High temperature proton conducting solid oxide electrolysis cells are a promising technology to meet this demand. The proposed Materials World Network will bring together a multidisciplinary international team to study these systems by linking researchers in the UK, USA, China and Singapore. The goal of the proposed work is to make a transformative shift in our understanding of the materials requirements and reaction mechanism(s) in the electrodes of these electrolysis cells. The targeted development of mixed protonic and electronic conducting oxides is expected to lead to significant improvement in electrode activity. A comprehensive suite of experimental and modeling tools will be utilized to optimize this new set of materials.We seek to 1) link materials structure and chemistry to ion-electron transport properties and electrocatalytic activity, 2) identify common themes and mechanistic insights between cathode and anode materials, 3) utilize detailed electrochemical studies of prototype cells to link material properties to electrode performance and 4) perform modeling studies to identify key materials requirements and limitations in the prototype systems. The results of these studies will provide new insights into the properties of proton conducting oxides, provide a clear path for further development of these promising devices, and stimulate the development of a range of electrochemical devices, including fuel cells and electrochemical reactors, based on these materials

11/11/11