Professor Seohan Gil of Dankook University Develops Technology to Improve Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Performance

Control of Degradation Phenomena in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, 160% Efficiency Improvement Compared to Initial Performance

Professor Han-Gil Seo's research team in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Dankook University has developed a technology that can dramatically improve the performance of solid oxide fuel cells. Photo by Han-Gil Seo.

Dankook University announced on the 11th that Professor Han-Gil Seo's research team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a technology that can dramatically improve the performance of solid oxide fuel cells.

Conducted in collaboration with Professor Harry L. Tuller of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), this research was pursued to overcome the drawback of efficiency degradation during long-term operation of solid oxide fuel cells, which are a representative next-generation energy system.

According to the research team, solid oxide fuel cells can use not only hydrogen but also various fuels and have the highest conversion efficiency among existing fuel cells. In particular, they have the advantage of being able to utilize both electricity and heat simultaneously, making their application range wide, from mobile power devices to large power plants.

However, because they operate at high temperatures above 700°C, the ceramic electrode surface deteriorates during long-term operation, significantly reducing the fuel cell's efficiency, which has been an obstacle to commercialization.

In response, the research team developed a technology that dramatically improves the degradation phenomenon of the fuel cell electrode surface by utilizing calcium. By infiltrating calcium, a basic additive, into the electrode surface acidified by external impurities during operation, they not only fully restored the output of fuel cells degraded by more than 40% but also improved performance up to 160% compared to the initial performance.

Professor Seo stated, "This research provided significant meaning in solving the chronic electrode performance degradation problem of fuel cells and extending the fuel cell lifespan again," adding, "It is expected to have an important impact not only on fuel cells but also on various energy conversion and storage technologies."

The research, in which Professor Seo participated as the first author and co-corresponding author, was published online on May 10 in the environmental engineering journal Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy (IF: 22.2).