Docket #: S09-219
Nano-patterning of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrolytes
A team of Stanford engineers have developed a low-cost, easy to fabricate membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that is nano-patterned to increase electrode reaction surface area in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). These electrolytes are created with nano-sphere lithography techniques that eliminate the need for photo-lithography intensive steps. The resulting MEA has a thin electrolyte layer shaped into 3-D close-packed hexagonal pyramid arrays. This architecture reduces ohmic loss for better performance at operating temperature between 400-500oC.
The nanostructured YSZ electrolyte layer (~170nm) is coated with porous Pt for a total area enhancement factor of 1.5-2x.
Applications
- Solid oxide fuel cells
Advantages
- Streamlined fabrication - nano-sphere lithography process, so there is no need to use photo-lithography intensive steps
- Improved performance - nanostructure architecture reduces ohmic loss
- Lower operating temperature than traditional SOFC (power density of 0.36W/cm2 at 400oC and 1.34 W/cm2 at 500oC)
Publications
- Cheng-Chieh Chao, Ching-Mei Hsu, Yi Cui, and Fritz B. Prinz, "Improved Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance with Nanostructured Electrolytes" ACS Nano 2011 5 (7), 5692-5696
Related Links
Patents
- Published Application: 20110076589
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