NU 2016-101

Inventors

Ramille Shah*

Adam Jakus

Nicholas Geisendorfer

Scott Barnett

Zhan Gao

Short Description

A novel fabrication and assembly process for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs)

Abstract

The fabrication and assembly of SOFCs remains one of the primary challenges preventing the widespread adoption of SOFCs as an energy conversion technology. Traditional manufacturing techniques have limitations in design flexibility, weight and time, precluding their practical use in mobile applications such as transportation. Northwestern researchers have developed an efficient and highly scalable multi-material process for fabricating SOFC constructs using a combination of room-temperature, liquid extrusion-based 3D-printing and dip-coating of particle-laden, liquid-based 3D-inks. 3D printing is used to sequentially deposit anode and cathode functional layer materials, allowing unprecedented control over gas channel geometries. SOFC structures are co-fired in air at temperatures thus avoiding over-sintering of the more sinterable component materials and unwanted material interaction or interdiffusion. This new approach to SOFC fabrication permits rapid device design and fabrication, is highly scalable with respect to number of devices and size of devices, and addresses the problem often associated with co-sintering of numerous ceramic materials within a single structure. This simple and highly versatile technique will form the foundation for improved SOFC manufacturing and function, and will increase their adoption and integration across industries thus improving their prospect for providing reliable, carbon-free power.

Applications

• Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
• Solid State Electrolyzers
• Solid State O2 Generators
• Solid State H2 Generators
• Catalytic reactors
• Ceramic heat exchangers
• Solid State gas generators
• Energy generation for stationary (power station) or mobile (transportation: ground, aero, space) applications
• Multi-ceramic structures for:
• Batteries and battery-fuel cell hybrids
• Thermoelectric devices
• Thermoelectric-electrolyzer hybrid devices
• Solar cell-electrolyzer hybrid devices

Advantages

• Cost-efficient: no need for expensive heavy metal plates and bolts
• Efficient configuration: monolithic
• Highly versatile: 2D and 3D materials with predictable shrinkage
• Rapid processing time through dip-coating

IP Status

A US patent application has been filed.