New Miniaturized Fuel Cell Developed By Pohang University
On the subject of fuel cells, Prof. Gyeong Man Choi (Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering), his Ph.D. student Kun Joong Kim and his research team at Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea, have developed a miniaturized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to replace lithium-ion batteries, but applied to small devices like smartphones, laptops, drones, and other electronic devices.
The SOFC, referred to as a third-generation fuel cell, has a simple structure and no problems with corrosion or loss of electrolytes. It converts hydrogen into electricity by oxygen-ion migration to fuel the electrodes through an oxide electrolyte. Typically, silicon is used as a supporting component of small oxide fuel cells but this method has shown to exhibit rapid degradation or poor durability due to thermal-expansion mismatch with the electrolyte, and thus is unsuitable for electronic devices that require fast power on and off.
To address this shortcoming, the research team developed a new technology that combines porous stainlesssteel (that’s thermally and mechanically strong and highly stable to oxidation or reduction reactions) with thin-film electrolyte and electrodes of minimal heat capacity. The fuel cells are made by a combination of tape casting-lamination-co-firing (TLC) techniques which are commercially viable for large scale SOFC production.
The fuel cells exhibited a high power density of ~ 560 mW cm-2 at 550 oC and the research team says this fuel cell is suitable for portable electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and drones that require high power density and quick on/off. The high power density means a device like a smartphone can have a charge that will last a week.The research team also expects this concept can be developed into large-capacity and inexpensive fuel cells to power electric vehicles.
Their results were published in the March edition of Scientific Reports, the sister journal of Nature.
