SBIR Phase II: Novel Oxygen Anion Conducting Solid Electrolytes

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目是针对新一代氧阴离子导电固体电解质的制造和性能评估。这些新材料来源于褐磨矿固态结构，之所以被选中，是因为它们在短期内具有比目前技术上可用的材料更高的氧阴离子导电性和化学稳定性的潜力。该计划中出现的技术将提高以下性能：(1)电力驱动的大气氧气分离；(2)中温固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFCs）；(3)快速反应化学传感器，仅举几个例子。由于使用钇稳定氧化锆（YSZ）固体电解质会导致操作温度过高，因此降低了目前严重的材料硬件限制，因此电解氧分离和SOFC技术在经济上更具竞争力。基于这种先进固体电解质的中温电化学装置还具有额外的优势，即需要更便宜的硬件组件来实现其商业应用。到目前为止，该项目已经确定了氧阴离子导电固体电解质，它们具有：(1)在同时氧化和还原条件下具有优异的化学稳定性；(2)寄生电子导电性不显著；(3)氧阴离子电导率约为直流测量的YSZ的两倍，代表了电化学装置中预期的那些条件。该项目正在进行的工作将导致澄清新一代氧阴离子导电电解质，预计将在中温电化学设备中找到商业应用，如电解氧发生器、燃料电池和化学传感器。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is directed toward the fabrication and performance evaluation of a new generation of oxygen anion conducting solid electrolytes. These new materials, derived from the brownmillerite solid state structure, are being selected because of their near term potential for achieving higher oxygen anion conductivity and chemical stability than currently technically available materials. Technology emerging in this program will enable improved performance for: (1) electrically driven atmospheric oxygen separation; (2) intermediate temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs); and, (3) fast response chemical sensors, to give but a few examples. Both electrolytic oxygen separation and SOFC technology will be made economically more competitive by lowering present severe materials hardware constraints resulting from high operating temperatures associated with the use of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) solid electrolyte. Moderate temperature electrochemical devices based upon such advanced solid electrolytes will also have the added advantage of requiring less expensive hardware components for their commercial implementation. Work to this stage in the program has identified oxygen anion conducting solid electrolytes which possess: (1) excellent chemical stability under simultaneous oxidizing and reducing conditions; (2) insignificant parasitic electronic conductivity; and, (3) an oxygen anion conductivity approximately twice that of YSZ from DC measurements, representative of those conditions anticipated in electrochemical devices.Work being performed in this program will result in clarifying a new generation of oxygen anion conducting electrolytes which are anticipated to find commercial application in intermediate temperature electrochemical devices, such as electrolytic oxygen generators, fuel cells, and chemical sensors.