Browsing by Author "Zhang, Jinjin"

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BaO-modified finger-like nickel-based anode for enhanced performance and durability of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells
(2024-07-15) Li, Lin; Xie, Yujiao; Han, Tingting; Zhang, Jinjin; Yu, Fangyong; Li, Gen; Sunarso, Jaka; Yang, Naitao; Li, Yongdan
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are hopeful high-temperature energy conversion devices with all-solid-state structure, high efficiency, and low emission. The anode catalytic activity is a direct limiting factor in the electrochemical performance of DC-SOFCs. Here, we successfully fabricated a finger-like Ni-based anode/electrolyte in one step, followed by infiltrating BaO within the anode, which significantly improved the anodic reaction and DC-SOFC performance. At 850 °C, the BaO/Ni-YSZ anode-supported DC-SOFC gave the optimal output of 505 and 825 mW cm−2 powering by activated carbon and hydrogen, respectively, which were significantly superior to those of the cell with traditional Ni-YSZ anode. Moreover, DC-SOFC with BaO/Ni-YSZ anode exhibited more stable operation for 20.9 h under 100 mA at 850 °C, giving a relatively high fuel utilization of 23.4 %. These excellent performances can be partially attributed to the smaller particle sizes and more grain boundaries of the BaO/Ni-YSZ anode due to the BaO infiltration, which effectively enhanced the ionic conductivity and mechanical strength of the anode. More importantly, density functional theory simulation revealed that the infiltrated BaO in the Ni-YSZ anode enhanced the adsorption ability of Ni sites for carbon monoxide and oxygen ions, which led to the increased differential charge densities and the reduction in the energy barrier of electrochemical oxidation reaction, thus effectively improving DC-SOFC performance and conversion efficiency.
Enhanced electrochemical performance of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells by MgO-catalyzed carbon gasification: Experimental and DFT simulation studies
(2024-05-01) Han, Tingting; Xie, Yujiao; Li, Lin; Wu, Yuxi; Yu, Fangyong; Wang, Min; Zhang, Jinjin; Li, Gen; Yang, Naitao
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are high-efficiency and clean power generation systems that can directly utilize solid carbon to produce electricity. However, the cell performance is hampered by the sluggish kinetics of the reverse Boudouard reaction at operating temperatures, as dictated by their operational principle. Here, carbon fuels loaded with varying amounts of MgO catalyst were successfully developed to promote the reverse Boudouard reaction and DC-SOFC performance. At 850 °C, the DC-SOFC powered by 5 wt% Mg-loaded activated carbon achieved peak power output of 236 mW cm−2, demonstrating a notable enhancement of 41.3% compared to that of 165 mW cm−2 in pure activated carbon-fueled cell. Furthermore, the single cell discharged stably for a prolonged duration of 41.6 h under 50 mA, achieving a noteworthy fuel utilization of 33.3% at 850 °C. These underscored the substantial contribution of MgO to the enhancement of DC-SOFC performance and efficiency. More importantly, the MgO catalyst displayed excellent stability without agglomeration during the high-temperature operation of the cell. Density functional theory simulation confirmed experimental findings that MgO reduced the energy barrier of carbon gasification reaction, thereby providing sufficient carbon oxide for cell operation. Finally, the reaction paths and internal mechanism of MgO-catalyzed carbon gasification were proposed to offer theoretical backing for the effective conversion of solid carbon fuel and improvement of cell performance. This study offers original perspectives on advancing carbon gasification reaction catalysts to facilitate the stable and highly efficient operation of DC-SOFCs, contributing to reduced carbon emissions and advancing sustainability.
New insights into single-step fabrication of finger-like anode/electrolyte for high-performance direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells: Experimental and simulation studies
(2024-01-15) Han, Tingting; Li, Lin; Xie, Yujiao; Zhang, Jinjin; Meng, Xiuxia; Yu, Fangyong; Lup, Andrew Ng Kay; Sunarso, Jaka; Yang, Naitao
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Cell preparation techniques and design parameters have significant impacts on the electrochemical performance of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs). In this work, a finger-like nickel-based anode/electrolyte has been successfully fabricated in a single step via the tape-casting combined phase-inversion and co-sintering technique, which simplified the preparation process and reduced the fabrication cost. The finger-like anode/electrolyte exhibited identical microstructure and exceptional adhesion, ensuring the absence of any cracks during the co-sintering process. As a result, the corresponding single cell delivered a very competitive output of 436 mW cm−2 at 850 °C using activated carbon as fuel. Moreover, it operated stably for 20.1 h under 100 mA with a high fuel utilization of 22.5% at 850 °C. Model verification was also performed by comparative analysis of the effects of the finger-like pore length, anode thickness, cathode thickness, and electrolyte thickness on the cell performance using numerical simulation, which generated the resultant two-dimensional distributions of CO molar concentration, current density, O2 molar concentration, and temperature as well as the power output of the cell. Simulation results verified the experimental findings that DC-SOFC performance was enhanced with increases in the finger-like pore length and cathode thickness, and with decreases in the anode and electrolyte thicknesses. This work provides valuable insights into further optimizing the cell design and manufacturing process, paving the way for the development of high-performance DC-SOFCs.
Simulation-guided design of a finger-like nickel-based anode for enhanced performance of direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells
(2023-12-15) Han, Tingting; Li, Lin; Zhang, Jinjin; Yu, Fangyong; Sun, Haibin; Sunarso, Jaka; Yang, Naitao
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) can convert solid carbon directly to electricity via electrochemical oxidation and require less investment compared to other liquid or gas-fed fuel cells. Anode characteristic is one of the important factors in achieving efficient and stable operation of DC-SOFCs. In this work, we have successfully designed and developed 2D multi-physics field models for DC-SOFCs with finger-like nickel-based anode (Cell-A) and traditional nickel-based anode (Cell-B), respectively. Simulation results revealed that the cell performance was significantly enhanced with increases in the anode porosity and decreases in the distance of carbon fuel to porous anode. More importantly, the anode featuring a finger-like pore structure assumed a pivotal role in cell performance. Specifically, Cell-A exhibited higher electrochemical performance compared to Cell-B due to the lower resistance for gas transport and more abundant amount of three-phase boundaries for electrochemical reactions. Experimental results verified the simulation findings by making and operating these two DC-SOFCs. The fabricated Cell-A with finger-like anode delivered higher power output of 858 and 371 mW cm−2 at 850 °C when fueled with hydrogen and activated carbon, respectively, relative to Cell-B with traditional anode. The beneficial characteristic of finger-like anode was further demonstrated by the ability of Cell-A to retain stable operation for 14.1 h at 100 mA with the fuel utilization of 15.8% at 850 °C. This study provides important guidance for the design and improvement of DC-SOFCs, and promotes the sustainable utilization of carbon resources.