Seminar

3월 5일 (화) 개최되는 신소재공학과 정기세미나를 아래와 같이 안내해드립니다.


= 아 래 =


1. 일 시 : 2013. 3. 5 (화), 16:00 ~
2. 장 소 : 응용공학동 1층 영상강의실
3. 연 사 : 정우철 교수 (KAIST 신소재공학과)
4. 제 목 : Study of electrocatalysis in solid oxide fuel cells using well-defined model electrode structures
5. 발표내용요약(Abstract)

  Fuel cells, and in particular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), enable high-efficiency conversion of chemical fuels into useful electrical energy and, as such, are expected to play a major role in a sustainable energy future. Essential to the fuel cell energy conversion process are the electrochemical reactions at the electrodes - oxygen reduction at the cathode and fuel oxidation at the anode. Despite recognition of the importance of the electrochemical reactions and extensive research efforts towards their elucidation, the reaction pathways and rate-limiting steps remain largely unknown. Progress has been impeded by a number of factors including the morphological complexity of the electrode and of the electrode-electrolyte interface in typical structures, evolution of the surface chemistry during measurement and/or operating, and poor knowledge of the inherent defect and transport properties of the material under electrochemical investigation. Here, we address these factors through micro-fabrication of simplified, well-defined structures and evaluation of materials with well-known bulk defect and transport properties. We employ physical vapor deposition and micro-fabrication methods to prepare oxide-metal composite electrode structures with good impurity control. This geometry, in combination with selected in-situ and ex-situ characterization techniques, enables identification of the reaction pathways, facilitates measurement of the site-specific electro-catalytic activity, and reveals critical factors governing the overall electrode reaction rates. The materials Sm0.2Ce0.8O2-d and SrTi1-xFexO3-d are selected as representative mixed oxide ion and electron conducting materials for anode and cathode applications, respectively. The observations give guidance for achieving SOFC electrodes with exceptional performance.