Technical Topic Area 3D - Cathode Performance and Stability Improvements in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The summary for the Technical Topic Area 3D - Cathode Performance and Stability Improvements in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Technical Topic Area 3D - Cathode Performance and Stability Improvements in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: NOTE: This descriptive area provides an overview of Technical Topic Area 3D only. YOU MUST READ THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS ON ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, EVALUATION CRITERIA AND HOW TO PREPARE AN APPLICATION UNDER AN AREA OF INTEREST. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to access the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Cathode Performance and Stability Improvements in Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (DE-PS26-06NT42751-3D) Inefficiencies in cathodic electrochemical charge transfer (ECT) in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) make it difficult to operate SOFC devices with proven materials in the intermediate temperature range below 750C. Cathode materials that exhibit promising charge transfer kinetics leading to reasonable area specific resistances (ASR) at intermediate temperatures, also seem to be the least thermally and chemically stable with regard to the environment of the SOFC air reaction chamber. Research seeking to understand the activity and stability of intermediate temperature SOFC cathodes under realistic operating conditions and environments is needed to develop improved cathode/current collection systems. The air chamber environment surrounding the cathode includes direct interfaces with the electrolyte and current collector materials as well as contaminants arriving via various diffusion paths from the gas separation interconnection plate or from seal materials. Performance data from cell tests often indicate short term instabilities (often labeled burn-in effects) followed by less rapid long term degradation. The instability is sometimes correlated with changes in current collection materials or in the materials and coatings used in the separation plates. The mechanisms for such degradation are poorly understood because the effects may involve subtle surface chemistry structural changes, and are always dependant on the details of the materials configuration and the operating conditions. Careful analytical determination of contamination levels and phases is often missing from reports of performance data or is limited to the spatial and compositional resolution of SEM work (few studies have, for example, employed TEM identification of surface and grain boundary phases and compositions.) Recent efforts have been made to modify the cathode structure through post-firing infiltration of catalysts that modify the active regions of the cathode. While infiltration methods show promise, a detailed understanding of the nature of the resulting sub-micron structural and compositional modifications, and their long term stability under operating conditions, remains to be determined. Stability and performance are intimately linked when examining cathodic reactions. The mechanisms for degradation most likely involve materials transformations that affect the mechanisms for efficient ECT and low ASRs. Likewise, if the mechanisms for effective ECT were fully understood, it would be more possible to design degradation resistant air chamber systems. This research topic seeks proposals that address detailed determination of intermediate temperature SOFC cathode ECT mechanisms and/or the mechanisms of instability and degradation of the most active cathode materials. State of the art analytical characterization of cathode materials in-situ or after environmental exposure would be a necessary part of a conclusive study. A connection between performance and sub-micron materials structure under realistic operating environments is sought.