The photo is sourced from Scoltech
One alternative to burning gas in gas turbines is the usage of fuel cells which convert the chemical energy of natural gas into electricity while avoiding emissions of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide and aerosol particles. A solid oxide fuel cell consists of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte, a layer of ceramic material between the two electrodes, one of the characteristics of which is ionic conductivity: the higher it is, the higher the fuel cell’s power. Ionic conductivity itself depends on the electrolyte material and operating temperature of the device.
High ionic conductivity can be achieved by using a ceramic electrolyte with a hierarchical lattice structure. The Skoltech scientists tried to create such an electrolyte using zirconium stabilized with scandium oxide or yttrium oxide. Such materials are suitable for fuel cells with operating temperatures of 1,000 and 750 degrees Celsius, respectively. The electrolyte itself was “printed” by a 3D printer using microstereolithography technology, which is convenient for creation of prototypes and small parts. The researchers also used an office projector to deliver ultraviolet radiation which acted on the polymer binder in the ceramic paste and provided solidification during printing the blank part.
The blank printed on the 3D printer was placed in a furnace where the polymer binder was burned out of it, then the part was sintered to eliminate residual pores. The resulting “output” was a strong ceramic. “We have demonstrated that 3D printing technology, specifically microstereolithography, can produce a complex structure from one experimental and one commercially available ceramic fuel cell electrolyte material. This is a step towards improvement of fuel cells’ performance characteristics – so that over time they were able to compete with less environmentally friendly energy sources and replace them,” Skoltech quotes study leader Oleg Pchelintsev.
The authors plan to create demonstration samples of fuel cells in which lattice ceramic structures printed by a 3D printer will play the role of electrolytes.
