Sam Solomon
Mar Ivanios College, India
Title: Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterial’s for solid oxide fuel cells
Biography
Biography: Sam Solomon
Abstract
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a class of fuel cells characterized by the use of a solid material as the electrolyte. SOFCs use a solid electrolyte to conduct negative oxygen ions from the cathode to the anode. The electrochemical oxidation of the oxygen ions with hydrogen or carbon monoxide thus occurs on the anode side. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the synthesis and characterization methods of nanomaterials for electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells.
Synthesis: One of the efficient methods for the synthesis of nano particles is the modified combustion technique. In this method stoichiometric amounts of chemicals are made in to a solution and heated. The solution boils and undergoes dehydration followed by decomposition leading to a smooth deflation producing foam. On persistent heating, the foam gets auto-ignited due to self-propagating combustion, giving a voluminous fluffy nanopowder. The obtained powder is annealed in oxygen atmosphere below 700oC to eliminate the trace amount of organic impurity that may remain in the sample.
Characterization: Structure of the as-prepared powder can be identifi ed by the powder X-ray diff raction (XRD) technique and the particle size using transmission electron microscopy. The powder can be pressed into disc pellets of thickness 2 mm using a hydraulic press with a pressure of 100 MPa, and then sintered at optimized temperatures. The surface morphology of the sample is analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The impedance spectroscopic study is carried out by making the pellet in the form of a disc capacitor.
Conclusion & Significance: The impedance spectroscopic studies establish the feasibility of the materials to use as an electrolyte in SOFCs.