PREPARATION

AND
CHARACTERIZATION OF NIOBIUM
DOPED ZIRCONIA AS SOLID OXIDE
ELECTROLYTE FOR SOLID OXIDE
FUEL CELL APPLICATIONS

Prepared By,

Arathy. S. R

S4 MSc.Physics

Reg. number: 120503

Kerala university

Kariavattom campus

CONTENTS

FUEL CELL
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy
from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction
with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.

The

first fuel cell were invented in 1838 by William Robert Grove, arranging two
platinum electrodes electrodes with one end of each immersed in a container
of sulfuric acid and the other ends separately sealed in containers of oxygen
and hydrogen, a constant current would flow between the electrodes.
The sealed containers held water as well as the gases, and he noted that the
water level rose in both tubes as the current flowed.

By combining several sets of these electrodes in a series circuit, he created

what he called a gas battery the first fuel cell.

In 1959 Bacon and Frost developed a first practical fuel cell.

The

first commercial use of fuel cells came more than a

century later in NASA space programs to generate power
for probes, satellites and space capsules. Since then, fuel
cells have been used in many other applications.
Fuel

cells are used for primary and backup power for

commercial, industrial and residential buildings and in
remote or inaccessible areas.
They

are also used to power fuel-cell vehicles, including

forklifts, automobiles, buses, boats, motor cycles and
submarines.

There

are many types of fuel cells

They

all consist of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte that allows charges

to move between the two sides of the fuel cell.
Electrons

are drawn from the anode to the cathode through an external

circuit, producing direct current electricity
.

As the main difference among fuel cell types is the electrolyte, fuel cells are
classified by the type of electrolyte they use followed by the difference in startup
time ranging from 1 sec for PEMFC to 10 min for SOFC

Fuel cells come in a variety of sizes. Individual fuel cells produce relatively small
electrical potentials, about 0.7 volts, so cells are "stacked", or placed in series, to
increase the voltage and meet an application's requirements.

In addition to electricity, fuel cells produce water, heat and, depending on the fuel
source, very small amounts of nitrogen dioxide and other emissions. The energy
efficiency of a fuel cell is generally between 4060%, or up to 85% efficient in
cogeneration if waste heat is captured for use.

Fuel cell stack

Types of fuel cells

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

alkaline fuel cell (AFC)

proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell
direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)
molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)
solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)

SOFC

Made up of three adjacent segments: the anode, the electrolyte, and

the cathode.
Two

chemical reactions occur at the interfaces of the three different

segments.

The net result of the two reactions is that fuel is consumed, water or
carbon dioxide is created, and an electric current is created, which
can be used to power electrical devices, normally referred to as the
load.

At the anode, catalyst oxidizes the fuel, usually hydrogen,

turning the fuel into a positively charged ion and a negatively charged
electron.

The electrolyte is a substance specifically designed so ions can

pass through it, but the electrons cannot. The freed electrons travel
through a wire creating the electric current.

The ions travel through the electrolyte to the cathode. Once

reaching the cathode, the ions are reunited with the electrons and the
two react with a third chemical, usually oxygen, to create water or
carbon dioxide.

At anode:
H2

At cathode:

2H+ +2e-

2H + + 1/2O2 +2e-

H 2O

The

most important design features in a fuel cell are

the electrolyte substance.

The electrolyte substance usually defines the type of fuel cell.

The most common fuel is hydrogen.

The

anode catalyst is usually made up of very fine platinum powder.

The cathode catalyst is often made up of nickel but it can also be a

nanomaterial-based catalyst.

Solid

oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) use a solid material, most commonly

a ceramic material called yitrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), as the

electrolyte.
They

require high operating temperatures (8001000C) and can

be run on a variety of fuels including natural gas.

Due

to high temperature

Restrictions in choice of material

Electrode sintering problem

Mechanical stress due to difference in thermal expansion

To

over come this problem, intermediate temperature

SOFC ,operating at 600-8000c was introduced.
A

new material named Pyrochlore oxides (Ba RE

4Zr4NbO17.5 ) having equivalent conductivity value in IT
range were synthesized.

SOFCS ARE
Pollution free
Reliable

High efficiency

Convert wide variety of fuels

Vibration free

Next generation energy source

Power

Applications

used for commercial, industrial and residential primary

and backup power generation.

Cogeneration

used to generate both electricity and heat for homes

Fuel cell electric vehicles

Automobiles

Portable power systems

Markets and economics

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

THANK YOU