Non-Conventional Solid State Fuel Cells: Materials & Technology

Investigation of "Non-conventional material" for fuel cells, such as oxide-salt-ceramic composites and ceria based or perovskite oxides with different dopants, leads to a much lower fuel cell operating temperature compared to conventional high temperature, similar to 1000 degrees C, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which provides the new possibilities for facilitating SOFC commercialisation. This work is essentially an effort to develop new types of solid oxide ion and proton fuel cells (SOFC and SPFC) at fairly low temperatures, < 800 degrees C or intermediate temperature, 400 to 800 degrees C The conventional high temperature SOFCs using yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) materials, and low temperature SPFCs (< 200 degrees C) using polymer membrane electrolytes have complex material and system problems from either special high temperature requests or expensive technology and reforming systems. This research is intended to provide materials and technology along new routes for so-called non-conventional fuel cell systems, to facilitate solid state fuel cell cmmercialisation. The fuel cell research on these non-conventional systems is promising. This paper, based on recent achievements in research on materials and technology, summaries the developnt of material systems and new fuel cell devices regarding their potential marketability in the near future.