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

满足世界不断增长的人口的未来能源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、高效的和无害环境的能源的生产和转换一直是深入研究的主题，包括太阳能、核能、风能和地热能。然而，还需要新的有效能源载体来限制损失，而固体氧化物燃料电池技术由于其独特的高效率、燃料灵活性和环境安全性的组合，在中短期内对这一目的极具吸引力。有两个因素阻碍了SOFC的更广泛商业化：系统成本和可靠性;这两个因素都源于当前技术的高工作温度。将操作温度降低到所谓的中间温度（IT，450- 650 oC）和低温在本项目中，我们将制备和验证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，分别用作电解质和阴极，在350和600 oC之间运行的中低温固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）中，这是一个令人兴奋的关于高度热门的功能材料的研究计划。它跨越了实验和理论，并且关键地依赖于基于中子的技术。它还代表了深度和广度的雄心勃勃的组合，包括材料设计，对结构，动力学和基本特性的原子级理解，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.