Fuel Cells

Finden works directly with clients on short commissioned projects, but is also involved in long term research projects with clients and partners from across the world. Examples are given above including a case study.

Further case studies include:

Real-time characterization of a micro-monolithic solid oxide fuel cell during thermal cycling with synchrotron X-ray diffraction computed tomography

Ceramic fuel cells offer a clean and efficient means of producing electricity through a variety of fuels. However, miniaturization of cell dimensions for portable device application remains a challenge, as volumetric power densities generated by readily-available planar/tubular ceramic cells are limited. Here, we demonstrate a concept of ‘micro-monolithic’ ceramic cell design.

The Detection of Monoclinic Zirconia and Non-Uniform 3D Crystallographic Strain in a Re-Oxidized Ni-YSZ Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode

We look with at the chemical and crystallographic heterogeneities present in a Ni/NiO-YSZ solid oxide fuel cell electrode after re-oxidation.  In this work, we correlate lab-based X-ray computed tomography using zone plate focusing optics, with X-ray synchrotron diffraction computed tomography to explore the crystal structure of a partially re-oxidized Ni/NiO-YSZ electrode. These state-of-the-art techniques expose several novel findings: non-isotropic YSZ lattice distributions; the presence of monoclinic zirconia around the oxidation boundary; and metallic strain complications in the presence of variable yttria content.