Self Repairable Seals by Crack Healing of Glass and Glass-Ceramic Composites for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

这笔赠款的主要目的是建立对前景看好的玻璃和微晶玻璃复合材料中裂纹修复机制的基本理解，有助于推动燃料电池自修复密封的变革性概念。玻璃在固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)中用作密封件，直接发电。它需要在800°C下工作的密封金属陶瓷密封，这是具有挑战性的，在操作过程中容易出现玻璃密封破裂。为了应对这一挑战，将寻求一种由表面能驱动的主动自修复密封的新概念。这一新概念背后的基本原理是，在800°C的SOFC工作温度下，具有适当表面和热物理性能的密封玻璃可以修复或修复在热瞬变过程中产生的裂缝。然而，目前对玻璃和微晶玻璃复合材料中裂纹愈合的动力学和机理缺乏基本的了解。有了这样的理解，就可以确定裂纹修复/自修复机制，并能够预测在正常运行的SOFC中实现自修复所需的修复时间。此外，玻璃析晶产生的晶态陶瓷相或故意添加以影响裂纹愈合行为的晶态陶瓷相的作用将被更好地理解，以便具有最佳承载能力和自我修复能力的微晶玻璃复合材料可以被设计为用作SOFC中的密封件。通过这笔赠款，PI还将开发分析模型来描述和预测通过实验观察到的裂纹愈合和自我修复行为。密封在几个高科技领域发挥着关键作用，包括SOFC、真空技术、微电子、电力电子和微电子机械系统。拟议的研究将培训研究生、本科生和博士后，掌握适用于学术界和工业界的宝贵技术和研究技能，并通过用于合成用于高科技应用的玻璃和玻璃复合材料的新设施，促进我们机构的资源。此外，由于目前的重点是保护我们有限的自然资源用于能源生产，高效的SOFC将通过降低发电和环境影响的燃料消耗直接节省成本。少数民族/女性本科生和高中生将通过多元文化工程计划(MEP)和WEAT(工程、建筑和技术领域的女性)计划接受这项研究的指导和接触。通过为教师和学生举办ASM材料讲习班和夏令营，向高中提出了一项重要的外联活动。

The primary objective of this grant is to establish a fundamental understanding of the crack-healing mechanism in promising glasses and glass-ceramic composites useful for advancing a transformative concept of self-repairable seals for fuel cells. Glasses are used as seals in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for generating electricity directly. It requires hermetic metal-ceramic seals functioning at 800°C, which is challenging and susceptible to glass seal cracking during operation. To address this challenge, a novel concept of active self-repairable seals driven by surface energy will be pursued. The rationale behind this novel concept is that at the SOFC operating temperature of 800°C a sealing glass with appropriate surface and thermophysical properties can heal or repair cracks created during thermal transients. However, a fundamental understanding of the kinetics and mechanism of crack healing in glasses and glass-ceramic composites is currently lacking. With such an understanding, one can identify the crack-healing/self-repair mechanism and be able to predict the healing time required for achieving self-repair in a functioning SOFC. In addition, the role of the crystalline ceramic phase created either by crystallization of the glass or added intentionally for influencing crack healing behavior will be better understood so that the glass-ceramic composites with optimum load-bearing capability and self-repairability can be designed for use as seals in a SOFC. Through this grant, the PI also will develop analytical models to describe and predict crack-healing and self-repair behaviors observed experimentally.Seals play a critical role in several high-technology areas including SOFCs, vacuum technology, microelectronics, power electronics, and microelectromechanical systems. The proposed research will train graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral associates in invaluable technical and research skills applicable to both academia and industry and advance the resources of our institution by new facilities for the synthesis of glasses and glass-composites for high-technology applications. In addition, with the current emphasis on conserving our limited natural resources for energy production, efficient SOFCs will result in direct savings by lower fuel consumption for power generation and environmental impact. The minority/women undergraduate and high school students will be mentored and exposed to this research through Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), and WEAT (Women In Engineering, Architecture & Technology) programs. A significant outreach to high schools is proposed through ASM materials workshops and camps for teachers and students.