Barrer Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCL, London, WC1E 7JE, UK.
Nat Commun. 2019 Apr 2;10(1):1497. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09427-z.
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 mechanical robustness and structural integrity of this design is thoroughly investigated with real-time, synchrotron X-ray diffraction computed tomography, suggesting excellent thermal cycling stability. The successful miniaturization results in an exceptional power density of 1.27 W cm at 800 °C, which is among the highest reported. This holistic design incorporates both mechanical integrity and electrochemical performance, leading to mechanical property enhancement and representing an important step toward commercial development of portable ceramic devices with high volumetric power (>10 W cm), fast thermal cycling and marked mechanical reliability.
陶瓷燃料电池通过各种燃料提供了一种清洁高效的发电方式。然而，为了实现便携式设备的应用，将电池尺寸小型化仍然是一个挑战，因为现成的平面/管状陶瓷电池产生的体积功率密度有限。在这里，我们展示了一种“微整体式”陶瓷电池设计概念。通过实时同步加速器 X 射线衍射计算层析成像，彻底研究了这种设计的机械强度和结构完整性，表明其具有出色的热循环稳定性。成功的小型化实现了在 800°C 时 1.27 W cm 的卓越功率密度，这是报道中最高的之一。这种整体设计结合了机械完整性和电化学性能，提高了机械性能，代表了朝着具有高体积功率（>10 W cm）、快速热循环和显著机械可靠性的便携式陶瓷设备的商业开发迈出了重要一步。
