Characterization of Temperature Changes at the Gas-Electrode Interface of Lanthanum Strontium Cobalt Ferrite - Gadolinium doped Ceria based Cathodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells used in Mobile Applications

Abstract

Increased awareness of climate change and problems associated with environmental pollution have led to an international search for alternative fuel sources and methods of energy conversion. This includes innovating current transportation methods to be less reliant on fossil fuels and have reduced CO2 output. Automobiles currently rely on extremely inefficient internal combustion engines (ICEs). A popular alternative to ICE vehicles are fuel cell vehicles, which boast efficiencies two-to-three times higher than ICEs depending on the type of cell used and the operating temperature. This thesis is an investigation of the temperature changes at the gas-electrode interface of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite – gadolinium doped ceria (LSCF-GDC), a candidate material for the cathode of a solid oxide fuel cell. The observations from experiments indicated that the changes in temperature caused by changing the load and the flow rate were minimal compared to the overall cell temperature, and therefore their impact on cell structure and degradation is likely minimal as well. Furthermore, the cell, as measured from the side of the cathode, equilibrated relatively quickly, which is ideal in the application of SOFCs in mobile applications such as FCVs, where rapid changes in load demand are needed to shift the power of the vehicle.