Energy Materials: New Electrolytes and Cathodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

满足世界不断增长的人口对未来能源的需求是当今最重大的科学挑战之一。不同类型的新的、可持续的、有效的和无害环境的能源的产生和转换，包括太阳能、核能、风能和地热能，已成为深入研究的主题。然而，还需要新的高效能源载体来限制损失，固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）技术由于其独特的高效率、燃料灵活性和环境安全性，在中短期内对这一目标极具吸引力。有两个因素阻碍了SOFCs的广泛商业化：系统成本和可靠性；两者都源于当前技术的高工作温度。因此，将工作温度降低到所谓的中间（IT, 450-650℃）和低温（LT，低至350℃）区域是SOFC研究的主要推动力。在这个项目中，我们将制备和表征具有高氧化物离子和混合氧化物离子电子电导率的新型材料，分别用于在350至600摄氏度之间工作的中低温固体氧化物燃料电池（sofc）中作为电解质和阴极。这是一个令人兴奋的项目，研究高度热门的功能材料。它跨越了实验和理论，关键是依赖于基于中子的技术。它也代表了一个雄心勃勃的深度和广度的结合，包括材料设计，原子水平的结构，动力学和基本特性的理解，以及设备就绪形式的制造和测试。

Meeting the future energy needs of the world's growing population is one of today's most significant scientific challenges. Different types of new, sustainable, efficient and environmentally benign energy generation and conversion have been the subject of intense research, including solar, nuclear, wind and geothermal energy. However, new efficient energy vectors are also required to limit losses, and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology is extremely attractive for this purpose in the short-to-medium term, owing to its unique combination of high efficiency, fuel flexibility and environmental safety. Two factors have prevented wider commercialisation of SOFCs: system cost and reliability; both stem from the high operating temperatures of the current technology. Lowering the operating temperatures to the so-called intermediate (IT, 450-650oC) and low-temperature (LT, down to 350oC) regions is therefore a major driver in SOFC research.In this project we will prepare and characterise novel materials with high oxide ion and mixed oxide ion - electronic conductivities, needed for applications as electrolytes and cathodes, respectively, in intermediate- and low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating between 350 and 600oC.This is an exciting programme of research on highly topical functional materials. It spans experiment and theory, and crucially relies on the neutron-based techniques. It also represents an ambitious combination of depth and breadth encompassing materials design, atomic-level understanding of the structure, dynamics and the fundamental properties, as well as fabrication and testing in device-ready forms.