 |
Although energy sources such as wind and solar do a great job in producing non-emission electricity, they depend on sunlight and wind, so supply does not always meet demand. Similarly, nuclear power plants are more efficient when operating at maximum capacity, so power generation is not easy to increase or decrease at any time according to demand.
For decades, energy researchers have tried to solve a major challenge: how to store excess electricity so that it can be released back to the grid when needed?
Recently, researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory helped solve this problem by developing a new electrode material for electrochemical cells. This kind of battery can effectively convert excess electricity and water into hydrogen. When the demand for electricity increases, the electrochemical cell is reversible and converts hydrogen into the electricity supply grid. Hydrogen can also be used as a fuel for heating, vehicle transportation, or other uses.
The results of the study were published online this week in the journal Nature Communications.
INL's senior engineer / scientist and head of the chemical treatment group Ding Dong (transliteration, Dong Ding) said that researchers have long recognized the potential of hydrogen as an energy storage medium.
Ding said: "The huge challenges of energy storage and its diverse research and development needs provide more opportunities for hydrogen. Our goal is to use hydrogen as an energy intermediate for effective energy storage."
Ding and his colleagues improved an electrochemical cell called a proton ceramic fuel cell (PCEC), which uses electricity to decompose steam into hydrogen and oxygen.
However, in the past, these devices have limitations, especially since they need to operate at high temperatures up to 800 degrees Celsius. High temperatures require expensive materials, leading to accelerated degradation, making their costs prohibitive.
In this paper, Ding and his colleagues describe a new oxygen electrode material—a conductor that simultaneously promotes water decomposition and oxygen reduction reactions. Unlike most electrochemical cells, this new material—an oxide called a perovskite compound—allows the cell to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity without additional hydrogen.
Prior to this, Ding and his colleagues developed a three-dimensional grid-like structure for the electrode, which allows it to have a larger surface area to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. These two technologies-3D mesh structure and new electrode materials-can perform self-sustaining, reversible operations at temperatures between 400 and 600 degrees Celsius.
Ding said: "We have proved the feasibility of reversible operation of PCEC at such a low temperature. It can convert hydrogen produced by hydrolysis into electricity without any external hydrogen supply to achieve self-sustained operation. A big step in technology. "
Ding said that in the past, the oxygen electrode only conducted electrons and oxygen ions, while the new perovskite is "triple conduction", which means it conducts electrons, oxygen ions, and protons. In practical applications, the three-conductor electrode means that the reaction occurs faster and more efficiently, so the operating temperature can be reduced while maintaining good performance.
For Ding and his colleagues, the key is to find a way to add this element to the perovskite electrode material, so that it has triple conductivity-this process is called doping (doping). Hanping Ding, a materials scientist and engineer in the chemical processing group at the Idaho National Laboratory, said: "We have successfully demonstrated an effective doping strategy to develop a good triple oxide, It enables the battery to maintain good performance at lower temperatures. "
In the future, Ding Dong and his colleagues hope to continue to improve electrochemical cells by combining material innovation with cutting-edge manufacturing processes so that the technology can be used for industrial-scale projects.
(Original source: Fuel Cell Engineering China New Energy Network Comprehensive)
Flood Lights,Outdoor Flood Light,Polysilicon Solar Flood Light,Outdoor Solar Wall Light
Arilux Worldwide International Co. Limited , https://www.ariluxworldwide.com