Novel and Superior Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Cathode Material That's Low-cost and Simple to Manufacture

Ceramic cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells and gas separation systems

Project Leader: Rasit Koc

Unit: College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes

Executive Summary:

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) show excellent potential as a future source of energy for vehicles, homes and more due to their high efficiency, high environmental performance, and size and siting flexibility. This novel cathode material is similar in electrical conductivity and activation energies as materials currently being used in SOFC's and chemically compatible with the other SOFC components, but the simplified manufacturing process developed is low-cost and scalable in comparison to existing methods.

Intellectual Property Status:

Patent pending. U.S. Patent application number 20070259252 , published November 8, 2007.

License Status:

Available for license.

Potential Commercial Uses:

Hydrogen fuel cells offer promise for efficient energy utilization in a variety of applications. This new material offers advantages over current materials in low temperature (<800°C) solid oxide fuel cell cathodes and electrical interconnect applications, helping to improve the viability of the SOFC. It also has applications in oxygen separation systems, and in applications where current materials have shortcomings in electrical current conductivity, thermal expansion, and degradation of anode/cathode materials at high temperatures.

Benefits/Competitive Advantages:

These cathode materials will lower the operational temperature of the SOFC while meeting the stringent requirement of the fuel cell's materials.
The ease of manufacturing of the cathode material, such as from being able to sinter at ambient atmospheric contents and pressures without the use of inert environments without oxidation, allows for the production cost of the fuel cell to be dramatically reduced.

Brief Description:

An improved ceramic composition for use as a low-temperature cathode material in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and oxygen separation systems. The new doped Lanthanum Ferrite material exhibits excellent properties of oxygen permeability, electrical conductivity, thermal expansion, chemical stability at high temperatures, material tightness, and ease of manufacture as compared to present materials. These properties provide benefits of improved current production, increased material durability, and reduced-cost fabrication. Several beneficial characteristics of current cathode materials are incorporated into the composition:

Lanthanum Cobalt - high conductivity and ease of sintering
Lanthanum Chromium - chemical stability against oxidation and reduction
Lanthanum Ferrite - high conductivity

The ease of manufacture is enhanced by the ability to sinter with ambient atmospheric pressures and contents, without the need for inert environments. The composition is also chemically and thermally compatible with other SOFC materials, making it an excellent candidate for improvements in low-temperature SOFC and oxygen separation applications.

Keywords:

cathode materials, solid oxide fuel cells, fuel cells, hydrogen power, hydrogen energy, lanthanum cobalt, lanthanum chromium, lanthanum ferrite, SOFC, ceramic composites

Contact:

Jeff Myers, Senior Technology Transfer Specialist, (618) 453-4543, fax: (618) 453-8038
Amy McMorrow Hunter, Technology Transfer Specialist, (618) 453-4556

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