Demonstrating the potential of yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte for high-performance fuel cells.

Title Demonstrating the potential of yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte for high-performance fuel cells.
Authors K. Bae; D.Young Jang; H.Jong Choi; D. Kim; J. Hong; B.K. Kim; J.H. Lee; J.W. Son; J.Hyung Shim
Journal Nat Commun
DOI 10.1038/ncomms14553
Abstract

In reducing the high operating temperatures (?800?°C) of solid-oxide fuel cells, use of protonic ceramics as an alternative electrolyte material is attractive due to their high conductivity and low activation energy in a low-temperature regime (?600?°C). Among many protonic ceramics, yttrium-doped barium zirconate has attracted attention due to its excellent chemical stability, which is the main issue in protonic-ceramic fuel cells. However, poor sinterability of yttrium-doped barium zirconate discourages its fabrication as a thin-film electrolyte and integration on porous anode supports, both of which are essential to achieve high performance. Here we fabricate a protonic-ceramic fuel cell using a thin-film-deposited yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte with no impeding grain boundaries owing to the columnar structure tightly integrated with nanogranular cathode and nanoporous anode supports, which to the best of our knowledge exhibits a record high-power output of up to an order of magnitude higher than those of other reported barium zirconate-based fuel cells.

Citation K. Bae; D.Young Jang; H.Jong Choi; D. Kim; J. Hong; B.K. Kim; J.H. Lee; J.W. Son; J.Hyung Shim.Demonstrating the potential of yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte for high-performance fuel cells.. Nat Commun. 2017;8:14553. doi:10.1038/ncomms14553

Related Elements

Barium

See more Barium products. Barium (atomic symbol: Ba, atomic number: 56) is a Block S, Group 2, Period 6 element with an atomic weight of 137.27. The number of electrons in each of barium's shells is [2, 8, 18, 18, 8, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe] 6s2. Barium Bohr ModelBarium is a member of the alkaline-earth metals. The barium atom has a radius of 222 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 268 pm. Barium was discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1772 and first isolated by Humphry Davy in 1808. Elemental BariumIn its elemental form, barium is a soft, silvery-gray metal. Industrial applications for barium include acting as a "getter," or unwanted gas remover, for vacuum tubes, and as an additive to steel and cast iron. Barium is also alloyed with silicon and aluminum in load-bearing alloys. The main commercial source of barium is the mineral barite (BaSO4); it does not occur naturally as a free element . The name barium is derived from the Greek word "barys," meaning heavy.

Yttrium

See more Yttrium products. Yttrium (atomic symbol: Y, atomic number: 39) is a Block D, Group 3, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 88.90585. Yttrium Bohr ModelThe number of electrons in each of yttrium's shells is [2, 8, 18, 9, 2] and its electron configuration is [Kr] 4d1 5s2. The yttrium atom has a radius of 180 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 219 pm. Yttrium was discovered by Johann Gadolin in 1794 and first isolated by Carl Gustav Mosander in 1840. In its elemental form, Yttrium has a silvery white metallic appearance. Yttrium has the highest thermodynamic affinity for oxygen of any element. Elemental YttriumYttrium is not found in nature as a free element and is almost always found combined with the lanthanides in rare earth minerals. While not part of the rare earth series, it resembles the heavy rare earths which are sometimes referred to as the "yttrics" for this reason. Another unique characteristic derives from its ability to form crystals with useful properties. The name yttrium originated from a Swedish village near Vaxholm called Yttbery where it was discovered.

Zirconium

See more Zirconium products. Zirconium (atomic symbol: Zr, atomic number: 40) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 91.224. Zirconium Bohr ModelThe number of electrons in each of Zirconium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Kr]4d2 5s2. The zirconium atom has a radius of 160 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. In its elemental form, zirconium has a silvery white appearance that is similar to titanium. Zirconium's principal mineral is zircon (zirconium silicate). Elemental ZirconiumZirconium is commercially produced as a byproduct of titanium and tin mining and has many applications as a opacifier and a refractory material. It is not found in nature as a free element. The name of zirconium comes from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium, and from the Persian wordzargun, meaning gold-like.

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