Integrating Multi-physicochemical Processes Induced Stresses to Study Structural Reliability for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Modeling and Experiments

本项目的研究目的是阐明固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)分层降解的机理。SOFC是一种环保、高效的能源技术。长期稳定性是这种技术商业化应用的重要要求。虽然分层现象被广泛地归因于SOFC不同层之间的热应力失配，但本项目提出的假设是，氧离子通过界面传输引起的晶格参数变化可能在分层退化中起重要作用。实验和模拟的结果都提供了支持这一假说的初步证据。将开展的研究包括与氧离子传输过程有关的基本参数表征、研究多工艺诱导应力的系统实验、量化综合多物理化学条件下影响结构可靠性的多工艺单独作用的新建模方法以及分层减轻策略研究。研究成果包括基本机理、建模和分析工具、实验方法和可实现的分层缓解策略的目录、研究结果的记录以及工程学生和大学预科学生的教育。如果成功，本研究结果将为SOFC的结构可靠性研究带来新的范式，并对SOFC的一系列相关问题产生重大影响，包括材料合成和选择、设计和制造、操作条件确定以减轻结构故障。这项研究将有助于将SOFC技术转移到美国工业。结果将被传播，以允许在其他氧离子传导固态设备中的广泛应用。工程专业的研究生和本科生将从课堂教学和参与研究中受益。面向高中生和普通公众的宣传活动将提高人们对清洁能源技术的认识和兴趣。

The research objective of this project is to elucidate the mechanisms that are responsible for delamination degradations of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The SOFC is an environmentally benign energy technology with high efficiencies. Long-term stability is an important requirement for the commercial applications of such a technology. While the delamination phenomena have been widely attributed to the thermal stress mismatch between different layers of SOFCs, the hypothesis proposed in this project is that the lattice parameter variations induced by oxygen ion transport across the interface could play an important role in delamination degradations. The results of both experiment and modeling have provided preliminary evidence supporting this hypothesis. The research to be performed includes the basic parameter characterizations related to oxygen ion transport process, systematic experiments to study multi-process induced stresses, and new modeling approach to quantify the individual roles of multi-processes influencing structural reliability under comprehensive multi-physicochemical conditions, as well as delamination mitigation strategy studies. The deliverables include a catalog of basic mechanisms, modeling and analysis tools, experimental methods, and attainable strategies for delamination mitigations, documentation of research results, as well as engineering student and pre-college student educations.If successful, the results of this research will bring a new paradigm for structural reliability studies of SOFCs and have significant impacts on a series of SOFC related issues, including material synthesis and selections, design and fabrication, operating condition determination to mitigate structural failures. The research will help transfer SOFC technology to US industry. The results will be disseminated to allow for a wide variety of applications in other oxygen ion conducting solid state devices. Graduate and undergraduate engineering students will benefit through classroom instruction and involvement in the research. Outreach to high school students and the general public will promote the awareness and interest of the clean energy technologies.