Self-Rising Approach to Synthesize Hierarchically Porous Mixed Ionic and Electronic Conducting Cathodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

该奖项的目的是阐明一种新的自上升方法合成用于固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)的分级多孔电极的机理。SOFC将燃料中的化学能直接转化为电能，提供高效率、零排放到低排放。在降低工作温度(400-600摄氏度)下运行的SOFC具有商业优势，但电池性能主要受到降低温度下电极反应迟缓的限制。分级多孔电极的优点包括显著增加了电极的活性表面积，以实现快速的电极动力学和增强的质量传输。该项目将研究影响多孔网络形成的不同参数，以实现分层多孔微结构，并应用分层多孔电极来提高SOFC在低温下的性能。对层状多孔电极的合成、加工和性能有一个基本的了解，这对于新一代SOFC的合理设计是至关重要的。该项目有望创造一种独特的自上升方法来动态控制孔的大小和几何形状，从而能够经济地和可重复地制造层状多孔材料。利用分层多孔电极有望在降低工作温度的情况下显著提高SOFC的性能。预计该项目将对提高能源转换效率和环境质量产生重大影响。通过积极推广自上升方法，它将为科学界提供一种独特的技术，在药物输送、传感、催化和吸附等其他应用中经济高效地生产分级多孔材料。通过该项目向高中生和普通公众推广燃料电池技术的兴趣和意识，并通过该项目培养研究生和本科生，将有助于将固体氧化物燃料电池技术转移到美国产业，从而提高其全球竞争力。

The objective of this award is to elucidate the mechanism of a novel self-rising approach for the synthesis of hierarchically porous electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). SOFCs convert chemical energy from the fuel directly to electricity, offering high efficiency with zero to low emissions. SOFCs operating at reduced operating temperatures (400-600 degrees C) have commercial advantages, but the cell performance is mainly limited by the sluggish electrode reactions at reduced temperatures. The advantages offered by hierarchically porous electrodes include dramatically increased active surface areas for fast electrode kinetics and enhanced mass transport. The project will study the different parameters influencing porous network formation to achieve hierarchically porous microstructure and to apply the hierarchically porous electrode to improve the performance of SOFCs at reduced temperatures. A fundamental understanding of the synthesis, processing, and properties of hierarchically porous electrodes is essential to the rational design of a new generation of SOFCs.This project is expected to create a unique self-rising method in the dynamic control of the pore size and geometry so that hierarchically porous materials can be economically and reproducibly fabricated. Utilization of hierarchically porous electrode is expected to bring significant enhancement of SOFC performance at reduced operating temperatures. This project is expected to have significant impacts on improving energy conversion efficiency and environmental quality. By active dissemination of the self-rising approach, it will offer the scientific community a unique technique to economically and efficiently produce hierarchically porous materials in other applications such as drug delivery, sensing, catalysis and adsorption. Outreach to high school students and the general public to promote the interest and awareness of the fuel cell technology as well as the training of graduate and undergraduate students through this project will help transfer the solid oxide fuel cell technology to US industry, thus enhancing its global competitiveness.