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NANO2021-Nanoteknologi og nye materiale

Functional oxides for clean energy technologies: fuel cells, gas separation membranes and electrolysers

Alternative title: null

Awarded: NOK 31.2 mill.

Project Number:

228355

Application Type:

Project Period:

2014 - 2019

Subject Fields:

The nationally coordinated NANO2021 project Functional Oxides for Clean Energy Technologies (FOXCET) is coordinated by SINTEF, with NTNU and UiO as partners. The project started in 2014 and runs to the end of 2019. It focuses on increasing the fundamental understanding about transport of ions and electrons in materials that are used in fuel cells, electrolysers and gas separation membranes, which are technologies for production of electricity and hydrogen and other chemicals. The project theme is becoming more and more important due to the need to establish cheap, energy efficient and flexible production of electrical power, production and usage of hydrogen, conversion of natural gas to more valuable products, and carbon capture and storage. Specifically, the FOXCET project deals with studies of advanced synthesis of metal oxides, processing and control of the nano- and microstructure, and their transport of ions and electrons in and across interfaces as grain boundaries and surfaces. Our studies of cation diffusion in oxides, and the materials' mechanical properties are necessary to evaluate the lifetime of devices. The project has a focus on studies of electrical charge in grain boundaries and at surfaces to increase the understanding of the technologies' performance during operation. One of the main hypotheses of the project, and results based on experimental and theoretical simulations, is that the electrical charge is more important for the understanding of the properties of surfaces and electrodes in the use of the important proton conducting model material barium zirconate (BaZrO3). Based on this, an important part of the project is to develop new electrodes with controlled nano- and microstructure by use of innovative synthesis routes to give the technologies improved performance. Scientific results have been disseminated through international peer-reviewed journals, and at a number of conferences and workshops, as recently at «Future Challenges in Proton Conductive Ceramic Fuel Cells», Miyazaki, Japan, March 2019, at «11th Petite Workshop on the Defect Chemical Nature of Advanced Energy Materials»; Tromsø, Norway, October 2019, and at «Materials Research Meeting (MRM)», Yokohama, Japan, December 2019. The FOXCET project has arranged 5 international workshops during the project period: - March 2015: "BZY"-workshop, at UiO - November 2015: "HES- og ELSA-aspect", organised with the NANO2021-prosject THELMA at the Research Council of Norway - November 2016: "Soft-chemistry and novel synthesis routes with focus on alternative cathodes", at NTNU - June 2017: "Proton ceramic reactors: Fundamentals and applications", at UiO - April 2018: "Ion conducting ceramic electrochemical devices: how interfaces and surfaces affect performance and lifetime", at UiO with the M-ERA-NET-project SURKINOX The FOXCET project has up to now educated 2 PhD candidates at NTNU and 1 at UiO, and 2 post doc researchers at NTNU and UiO. One of the post docs has taken a professorship in China, while the other has become researcher in a Swedish company developing fuel cells. One PhD candidate is now post doc at DTU in Denmark, while the two others are working in Swedish and Norwegian companies. One PhD candidate at UiO is expected to submit and defend the thesis within 2020. In 2019, the work and results have mainly been limited to remaining PhD studies at UiO. Some of these are particularly connected to cation diffusion in BaZrO3 as basis for estimation of degradation and lifetime of the material and the technologies where it is employed. We have finished and published studies and results of a novel method; inline electron holography in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). This enables direct measurement of the charges in e.g. grain boundaries as felt by the high energy electron beam of the TEM. The project has led to a breakthrough in the understanding of the experiment and the interpretation of the results. This is of major importance for future use of the method to provide atomic resolution mapping of charges that determine conductivity and diffusion in grain boundaries in ionic materials. More theoretical studies have also been finished and published in 2019, including so-called machine learning, a direction within artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance the efficiency of supercomputer modelling to allow more accurate studies of more complex materials systems. The FOXCET project and other connected research on proton conducting and energy conversion materials form the basis for many popular science presentations, for examples at the Cutting Edge Festival, Hydrogen-day for school classes, introductory events for new bachelor students, the Nano school etc. This research has also enabled partners UiO and SINTEF to coordinate the EU projects ELECTRA and GAMER on proton ceramic electrolysers, and which together published important results on electrode development in the high impact journal Nature Materials.

The FOXCET project has given increased insight of properties and stability of proton conductive oxide electrolytes used in energy and H2 technologies. Access to national infrastructures and supercomputers and use of international resources gave new insights and increased international recognition. 3 PhDs and 2 post docs completed. 1 PhD is delayed due to maternity leave. 22 papers published, 5 under preparation. 8 papers have co-authors from two or more Norwegian partners and 11 included international partners. Organisation of 5 international workshops gave increased visibility of Norwegian research. An international workshop on ELSA and HSE gave increased awareness and better practice. International cooperation with distinguished groups in USA (2), Japan (4), Spain (1) and Germany (2). Active promotion of relevant research to the EU FCH-JU resulting in a Call topic on proton ceramics. Cooperation with industry on proton ceramics has led to side projects reaching pilot scale.

The nationally coordinated project FOXCET addresses recent advances in proton and oxygen ion conducting materials for applications in the energy sector, notably high temperature fuel cells, steam electrolysis, and gas separation membranes. These electroch emical devices are of importance for more environment-friendly hydrogen- and fossil-fuelled transport and stationary power, for intermediate storage of peak renewable energy production, for carbon capture and storage, as well as a variety of fuel upgradin g processes. The project takes as starting point the last decades developments of fuel cell and membrane materials in RCN and EU projects by the partners and by startup companies around these, and moves into the next stage of scientific and technological understanding that may lead to enhanced performance and lifetime. These are based on the application of recent theory of charged core regions and space charge layers of interfaces like grain boundaries, and extending it to surfaces and electrodes, while a t the same time taking into use the wide range of atomic resolution microscopy and advanced spectroscopy that have become available at large facilities and national research infrastructures. Moreover, the project takes advantage of supercomputer facilitie s and partner proven expertise to model the same interfaces at an unprecedented level. Cation diffusivity in bulk and grain boundary as well as thermomechanical degradation will be measured and used to predict and improve lifetime with support from measur ement of mechanical properties. Finally, these activities are matched with a range of nanostructuring fabrication methods for model materials and improved components such as fuel cells cathodes. The project educates and trains 6 PhD and postdoc candidates . It encompasses partners SINTEF, NTNU, and UiO, is budgeted at 34743 knok and lasts 5 years.

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

NANO2021-Nanoteknologi og nye materiale