• Energy Research
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Abstract Electrolyte-free fuel cell (EFFC) which holds the similar function with the traditional solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) but possesses a completely different structure, has draw much attention during these years. Herein, we report a complex of MZSDC–LNCS (Mg 0.4 Zn 0.6 O/Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2− δ –Li 0.3 Ni 0.6 Cu 0.07 Sr 0.03 O 2− δ ) for EFFC that demonstrates a high electrochemical power output of about 600 mW cm −2 at 630 °C. The co-doped MZSDC is synthesized by a co-precipitation method. Semiconductor material of LNCS is synthesized by direct solid state reaction. The microstructure and morphology of the composite materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The performance of the cell with a large size (6 × 6 cm 2 ) is comparable or even better than that of the conventional solid oxide fuel cells with large sizes. The maximum power output of 9.28 W is obtained from the large-size cell at 600 °C. This paper develops a new functional nanocomposite for EFFC which is conducive to its commercial use.

In the last ten years, the research of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) or ceramic fuel cells (CFC) had focused on reducing the working temperature through the development of novel materials, especially the high ionic conductive electrolyte materials. Many progresses on single-phase electrolyte materials with the enhanced ionic conductivity have been made, but they are still far from the criteria of commercialization. The studies of ceria oxide based composite electrolytes give an alternative solution to these problems because of their impressive ionic conductivities and tunable ionic conduction behaviors. Significant advances in the understanding the ceria based composite material and construction of efficient fuel cell systems have been achieved within a short period. This report reviews recent developments of ceria-based composite from different aspects: materials, fundamentals, technologies, fabrication/construction parameters, electrochemistry and theoretical studies. Particular attention is given to ceria-carbonate (nano)composite, including its fuel cell performance, multi-ionic transport properties, advanced applications, corresponding electrode material and stability concerning. Besides, several novel fuel cell (FC) concepts like nanowire FC, all-nanocomposite FC and single-component/electrolyte-free fuel cell (SC-EFFC) are presented. This mini-review emphasizes the promise of ceria-based composites for advanced FC application and highlights the breakthrough of SC-EFFC research for high efficient energy conversion.

Hydrogen storage and distribution will be two very important aspects of any renewable energy infrastructure that uses hydrogen as energy vector. The chemical storage of hydrogen in compounds like sodium borohydride (NaBH4) could play an important role in overcoming current difficulties associated with these aspects. Sodium borohydride is a very attractive material due to its high hydrogen content. In this paper, we describe a reactor where a stable cobalt based catalyst supported on a commercial Cordierite Honeycomb Monolith (CHM) is employed for the hydrolysis of alkaline stabilized NaBH4 (SBH) aqueous solutions. The apparatus is able to operate at up to 5 bar and 130 °C, providing a hydrogen generation rate of up to 32 L min-1.