Advanced manufacturing techniques to enhance a novel hydrogen fuel cell’s performance

燃料电池是一种电化学装置，它将储存在燃料（如氢）化学键中的能量转化为电（和热），而不会将有害污染物（如CO、CO2、SOx和NOx）释放到大气中。当提供“绿色”燃料时，例如使用可再生电力通过电解（水分解）产生的氢气，它们是一种无排放的电力来源，可用于脱碳运输和其他能源应用。燃料电池由William格罗夫于1839年发明，迄今为止市场有限。由于大量使用化石燃料所引起的环境问题，人们对燃料电池和氢技术的兴趣重新燃起。对氢供应链的投资是应对全球气候变化协调计划的一部分。燃料电池在卡车、船舶、飞机和固定电源应用中的广泛使用将在未来几年内减少数百万吨二氧化碳的排放。燃料电池是分子水平上的复杂系统，具有跨多个界面的质量传输和化学反应。这些化学反应中的一些可能会产生不受欢迎的化合物，特别是如果空气或燃料供应中存在污染物。这些不希望的副产物攻击燃料电池的重要内部组件并导致设备故障。有些化学反应是可逆的，通过干预机制可以恢复性能，但有些化学反应是不可逆的，会导致灾难性的燃料电池故障。清洁能源的新型燃料电池系统消除了与传统设计相关的最关键的退化机制-请参阅clean-power.co.uk。对于高海拔和高海拔地区具有挑战性的应用，燃料电池必须能够在低温下启动和运行。该项目旨在发现Clean Power液体阴极电解液的添加剂，以防止这些电解液在低温（-40摄氏度）下冻结。一些候选添加剂和不同的液体阴极电解液组合将使用利物浦大学材料创新工厂的资源和专业知识进行测试。

Public descriptionFuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert energy stored in chemical bonds of fuels, such as hydrogen, into electricity (and heat) without releasing harmful pollutants such as CO, CO2, SOx and NOx into the atmosphere. When supplied with a "green" fuel such as hydrogen generated via electrolysis (water splitting) using renewable electricity they are an emissions free source of electricity which can be used to decarbonise transport and other energy applications.Invented by William Grove in 1839, fuel cells have found limited markets until now. There is a resurgent interest in fuel cells and hydrogen technologies driven by environmental concerns arising from extensive fossil fuel usage. Investments in the hydrogen supply chain is part of the co-ordinated programme to address global climate change. The widespread use of fuel cells in trucks, ships, aeroplanes and stationary power applications will prevent millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions in the coming years.Fuel cells are complex systems at the molecular level with mass transport and chemical reactions across multiple interfaces. Some of these chemical reactions can produce undesirable compounds, especially if pollutants are present in the air or fuel supplies. These undesirable side products attack vital internal components of the fuel cell and lead to device failure. Some of the chemical reactions are reversible with intervention mechanisms to recover performance, but some are irreversible and lead to catastrophic fuel cell failure. Clean Power's novel fuel cell system removes most critical degradation mechanisms associated with conventional designs - see clean-power.co.uk.For challenging applications at high elevations and altitudes the fuel cells must be able to start and operate at low temperatures. This project seeks to discover additives to Clean Power's liquid catholytes to prevent these from freezing at low temperatures (-40 deg C.). A number of candidate additives and different liquid catholyte combinations will be tested using the resources and expertise of the Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool.