Investigation of solid electrolyte materials for fast carbon-ion transport for application in fuel cells of novel design

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5416640

Cocks, F H; Locher, J W

If a solid electrolyte material with low electronic conductivity but high carbon ion conductivity could be developed it would make possible coal-based fuel cells that are entirely new in concept. Previously, using ZrO/sub 2/ in which oxygen ions show high mobility, considerable effort has already been directed at producing high temperature fuel cells but no equivalent attempt based on carbon-ion transport has apparently ever been made. It is known that carbon does indeed exist as an ion not only in compounds but also even when dissolved in metals, such as iron. No one, however, appears to have considered the possibility of developing a solid electrolyte material with high carbon-ion mobility but low electronic conductivity. In such a carbon-ion fuel cell, unlike those based on oxygen-ion transport through zirconia, all normal coal combustion processes would be eliminated and the direct electrochemical oxidation of coal, dissolved in a solvent, e.g., iron, to CO/sub 2/ would be possible. Such a fuel cell concept is, of course, critically dependent on the development of materials with low electronic conductivity but high ionic conductivity for carbon-ions. Although there is experimental proof that carbon exists in ionic form, not only in compounds but also in metals, no attempts appear ever to have been made at determining the transference numbers of such carbon ions. A review of possible candidate carbon-ion solid eletrolyte materials shows that doping of ionic carbides might be expected to produce materials with high carbon-ion mobilities. The work described here examined the possibility of carbon ion transport in salt-like carbides to assess the use of such materials as ionic-membrane solid electrolyte materials in carbon-ion fuel cells. 13 refs.

• Research Organization: Duke Univ., Durham, NC (USA). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• DOE Contract Number: FG01-78ET12227
• OSTI ID: 5416640
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/12227-T1; ON: DE85017609
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Paper copy only, copy does not permit microfiche production
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
CARBON
IONIC CONDUCTIVITY
FUEL CELLS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
SOLID ELECTROLYTES
CARBIDES
CERIUM CARBIDES
DESIGN
DOPED MATERIALS
HEAT TREATMENTS
LITHIUM CARBIDES
MIXTURES
SODIUM CARBIDES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CERIUM COMPOUNDS
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIFFRACTION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROLYTES
ELEMENTS
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
SCATTERING
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
300505* - Fuel Cells- Electrochemistry
Mass Transfer & Thermodynamics