Student Scientist: Alexia Popescu Niles West High School: Grade 11

Perovskite Phase Conductivity Impedance SOFC Performance

Figure 1: (above) the design process- Created by Alexia Popescu

Industrial Application http://mfame.guru/solid-oxide-fuel-cell-ideal-for-lng-vessels/

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/ee/c1ee02445k/unauth#!divAbstract

Above, schematics of an SOFC. It starts at the macroscale (stack), zooming into the microstructure in order to
show the reduction-oxidation reaction occuring; this allows for oxygen diffusion and electron transfer.
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/ee/c1ee02445k/unauth#!divAbstract

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell To the near Perovskite Phase

right is the
https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=12728

desired
perovskite
structure (with a
general chemical
formula ABX3)
Retrieved from:
made up of
oxygen and
metal cations.
https://www.princeton.edu/~cavalab/tut
orials/public/structures/perovskites.html

Results
GRAPH 1 (left)
shows data of XRD
curves. The desired
material phase is
SrV0.5Mo0.5O3,
indicated by the red
stars and aligning
peaks.The Mo
impurities are
indicated by the blue
circles and aligning
peaks. All other
unidentified peaks
are impurities.
GRAPH 3 (right) shows GRAPH 2 (above) shows data from XRD.
data of XRD curve for Graph 3: Highest Yielding Step-Sequence Three sintering step sequences are shown
best synthesis conditions 600C 12hr air, 600C 12hr 5%H2, 750C 12hr 5%H2, (with the highest yield of the desired
resulting in highest 1200C 12hr 5%H2, 1200C 12hr 5%H2 phase). As the number of steps increases,
percent (96%) desired higher percent perovskite result.
material phase is
SrV0.5Mo0.5O3.
It was observed that as
there was an increase in
sintering steps, perovskite
increased. This is likely
because the steps
corresponded with the
different melting
temperatures of each
oxide, preventing melting, TABLE 1 shows the different Above, the photos (corresponding to the
which decreases Chemical Melting melting temperatures of the bars in Graph 2) show the progress from
self-reaction & impurities. Material Form Temperature (℃) precursor powders, important a salt-and-pepper to a homogenous
when choosing sintering black coloration, indicating
Vanadium V 2O 5 680 points in step-sequence. improvement in mixing.
Pentoxide
LSGM Electrolyte
Molybdenum MoO3 795
Trioxide

SVM Anode
Strontium SrCO3 1497
Carbonate

Above, final product

after SVM ink is screen
printed onto LSGM
pellet to form a
symmetric cell (later to
be tested). Above, SVM-LSGM cells when sintered in varying Above, a before-and-after look at the cell. Initially sintered in
conditions. There are qualitative differences in the 1000 C air (black LSGM, white SVM), there is an observable
reduction (as well as the mechanical strength). color change when tested in 97% H2 3% H2O at 800℃.
 Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to improve
synthesis methods, apply material to symmetric cell
system, and explore the dominant impedance
mechanisms responsible for performance in the anode
material strontium vanadomolybdate (SVM) that has
potential use in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). SVM
has previously been found to have a significantly high that MoOx reduced very quickly from an oxide to a
electronic conductivity (>280 S/cm), indicating great
potential as a fuel cell material. However it has not
been applied in a symmetric cell system before,
especially with the goal of analyzing impedance, a
major factor of performance and power density.
Background
SOFCs are an alternative energy storage and
generation technology that have been on the brink of
commercialization for the past several decades. The
devices’ major advantages are little-to-no carbon
emission (contrasting to fossil fuels) and no
intermittence (contrasting to common renewables).
However, a considerable set-back is the lower power
density relative to other sources, as well as material
costs and long-term degradation. The prevalent
objective of this research is to design a higher
performing SOFC in order to move forward
commercialization, while maintaining
environmental compatibility.
Hypothesis
If a SOFC is designed using a SrV0.5Mo0.5O3
anode material, synthesized with citrate technique
at a temperature1 of 1200 C for 12 hours in a 0.1%
H2 atmosphere, it will have lower overall impedance
(and polarization
2 resistance) than conventional
SOFCs while maintaining environmental
compatibility.
Diagram created by Alexia Popescu
Methods APPLICATION
Sintering
Test-rig Setup
Independent Variable
Varying temperature, duration of temperature hold, atmosphere in
the furnace during the synthesis, type of synthesis, reactants
Dependent Variable
Conductivity→% desired phase→impedance→SOFC performance
Controlled Variables
Reaction products, testing equipment, screen printing quantities
All graphs and data tables were created by Alexia Popescu
Conclusions
The desired phase best resulted from the powder
synthesized by citrate technique with multi-step
sequence first decomposed at 600C in air, then
calcined at 600 C in 5% H2, 750 C in 5% H2 and
finally at 1200 C in 1% H2. Grinding between each
step improved mixing significantly. It was noticed
metallic phase and so the percent hydrogen in the
atmosphere played a large role in the grade of
synthesis. The next step will be to continue to test
the cell’s impedance through electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to look at the
dominant mechanisms of impedance (e.g. surface
exchange reactions, gas diffusion, oxygen diffusion,
etc). Following, conductivity tests will be taken.
Exigence
When over 850,000 people lost access to electricity in
Puerto Rico April 18, 2018, the global instability of
the power grid was exposed. More than an
inconvenience, buildings vital for society’s
functionality (e.g. hospitals, power plants,
government) cannot afford to lost power in such
scenarios. To address the issue, this project focused
on improving the performance of the alternative
energy solution, SOFCs, which are an increasingly
reliable source for backup generators.
Left, a satellite
image of Puerto
Rico before and
after the mass
power outage of
04/18/2018
Application
Fuel cells have a myriad of applications:
● Commercial, industrial, and residential
○ Backup generation, emergency power systems
○ Microgrid storage and generation
3
Inkmaking
○ Transportation (fuel cell electric vehicles
○ Space technology, military, telecommunication
○ Offline uninterrupted power for data centers
Screen- printing
Further Investigation
● Test conditions (partial pressures, gas flow rates)
● Measuring conductivity & using catalysts
● Assembling composite layer structure
○ (e.g. SVM-LSGM, SVM-STF)
● Alternative XRD strategies (in-situ vs. ex-situ)
● Applying various electrolytes (GDC, YSZ)
EIS
Test
● Nano- infiltrating the electrode
● Symmetric cell to a full cell system.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to especially thank the following institutions and people:
Prof. Scott Barnett
Matthew Lu
Rachael Swiercz
JulieAnn Villa
Parin Patel
Picture Sources