- Simultaneously improved economy, enlargement and performance
through revolutionary process design -
Ministry of science and ICT stated that Dr. Jong-Ho Lee and Dr. Ho-Il Ji
at the high temperature energy material research center developed a
Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cell, PCFC that can be commercialized, with the
help of Professor Dong Wook Shin from Hanyang University. The research
results were published in October on Nature Energy (IF:46.859, JCR top
0.515%), an international energy technology journal. Fuel cells are
devices that transform chemical energy directly into electrical energy,
and has huge development potential as a future energy conversion device
with its lack of waste production.
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KIST researchers conducting a test to check PCFC performance ratings. (Photo: Business Wire)
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are especially receiving a lot of
attention with its high energy conversion efficiency and ability to use
various types of fuel, and PCFCs especially are standing in the
spotlight with expectation of high performance at lower operating
temperature compared to conventional SOFCs. However, difficulty in
fabrication of thin and dense electrolyte on a porous electrode which
mainly originated from the refractory nature of proton conducting
electrolyte hinders commercialization of PCFCs.
The KIST research team partnered with the Hanyang University research
team to enhance the performance of PCFCs while simultaneously developing
a method to produce the cells on a commercialized scale. During
development, the teams systematically methodized a process to enable the
familiarization of the electrolytes within the electrolyte-electrode
assembly and also reduced the production process temperature, which is a
world first. The entire process also utilized micro-wave procedure and
screen-printing method which are adequate for the actual production
processes owing to their high economic efficiency.
The PCFC consisting of an electrolyte layer with a thickness of 5μm,
5/100,000th of 1cm, and a surface area of 5x5cm2
showed 12 times enhancement on performance relative to the previous
report. Since the performance was taken in real application conditions,
it provided clear evidence for the possibility of the commercialization
of the fuel cell, and thus has received a lot of recognition from
specialists and industries.
Dr. Lee stated that “The research results can be applied to more than
just simple energy production, but also to fuel production and
conservation as well as other various relative areas and industries. It
will be the stepping stone for the improvement of future renewable
energy availability.”
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Copyright Business Wire 2018
Source: Business Wire
(November 7, 2018 - 8:00 AM EST)
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