Materials For High Temperature Fuel Cell Technology

本申请是续签平台赠款的请求，该平台赠款为圣安德鲁斯燃料电池计划的基础研究提供资金，以进一步开发所产生的技术。这项工作包括与一系列重要能源技术相关的新材料的结构、化学、热和电化学表征。这些方案需要广泛的方法，从基本的原子规模表征到微观结构控制和制造，再到设备的生产和测试。主要的重点是了解微结构和组成在开发用于含烃燃料的高效燃料电极中的作用。我们正在开发低温薄膜负载型电解液，并将其应用于蒸汽电解，以期利用可再生能源生产氢气。碳燃料电池和蒸汽电解工艺等新概念方面的新举措已经取得成功，并将在更新后的平台中得到进一步发展。其他新的举措，如氢化物离子导体、氨燃料电池、使用我们的电极材料的光催化、燃料合成和新的阴极概念已经开始，并将在更新后的平台中进一步开发/验证。这一平台赠款已成为建立非常活跃的燃料电池和相关清洁能源技术研究计划的极好基础。它与一系列由政府和工业界资助的项目并行运行，并提供了一个关键工具，使这些项目能够得到有效管理。在许多情况下，由于平台项目提供的安全保障，开始日期避免了长达一年的延误。到目前为止，已有7名研究人员直接得到了该项目的资助，尽管该小组中的大多数研究人员至少间接受益于平台项目。Platform Grant使我们能够创建一个强大的团队结构，并极大地增强了我们的能力。出版速度为15pa，主要是在影响较大的期刊上发表，其中包括一本《自然》杂志。

This application is a request to renew a platform grant that has provided funding for basic research in the St Andrews' fuel cell programme to further development of the resulting technologies. The work comprises of structural, chemical, thermal and electrochemical characterisation of novel materials relating to a range of important energy technologies. These programmes entail a broad range of approaches from basic atomic scale characterisation through microstructural control and fabrication to device production and testing. A main focus is on understanding the role of microstructure and composition in developing efficient fuel electrodes for utilisation with hydrocarbon containing fuels. We are developing low temperature thin film supported electrolytes and application of such devices for steam electrolysis, with a view to utilising renewable energy to produce hydrogen. New initiatives working on new concepts such as carbon fuel cells and steam electrolysis processes have been successful and are will be further developed in the renewed platform. Other new initiatives such as hydride ion conductors, ammonia fuel cells, photocatalysis using our electrode materials, fuel synthesis and novel cathode concepts have been embarked upon and will be further developed/validated in the renewed platform.This Platform Grant has served as an excellent base on which to build a very active programme of research in fuel cell and related clean energy technologies. It is running in parallel with a series of projects funded by government and industry and has provided a key tool enabling efficient management of such projects. In many cases the start dates have avoided delays of up to one year due to security provided by the Platform Project. To-date 7 researchers have been funded directly by this project, although most of the researchers in the group have benefited at least indirectly from the Platform Project. The Platform Grant has enabled us to create a robust group structure and has greatly strengthened our capability. Publication is running at 15 pa largely in high impact journals including one in Nature.