Metal oxide electrolytes have been used extensively in applications such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), due to their ability to permit fast ion conductance as a solid electrolyte at slightly elevated temperatures. Yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconium oxide (ZrO2) (YSZ) is among the most widely used materials for these applications.The goal of this project is to synthesize a network of 1D YSZ nanowires that will be coated with platinum nanoparticles (as the cathode) and nanostructures of nickel (II) oxide (as the anode). Reduction in the size of the electrolyte, cathode, and anode materials will increase the reactive surface area for the reduction and oxidation of oxygen and hydrogen, respectively, thus ideally increasing the efficiency of the SOFC. In our research, the synthesis of nanostructured solid electrolytes was accomplished via sol-gel reactions in combination with electrospinning techniques and thermal annealing. The necessary three phase boundaries (TPB), where the reduction of oxygen and oxidation of hydrogen takes place, is prepared by thermal reduction of hexachloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) and nickel (II) acetate to elemental platinum and nickel (II) oxide nanocrystal form, respectively.The characterization of these materials was achieved primarily by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) (JEOL JSM-6100), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) (JEOL JEM-2100), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The data obtained from these investigations is used to develop an understanding of the relationship between nanowire structure and ion transport for fuel cell applications.

Metal oxide nanowires: Synthesis, characterization, and its application in nanoscale fuel cells

247th National Meeting (2014)

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