1. Center for Materials Chemistry
Alternative Energy Technologies:
Fuel Cells
Allan J. Jacobson
Center for Materials Chemistry
University of Houston
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

2. Future Fuels and Electricity
Now:
Fossil fuels: natural gas, oil, coal
Gas, steam turbines, combined cycle
Intermediate:
Hydrogen from fossil fuels
Fuel cells and new processes
Distributed systems
Superconducting transmission lines
Future
Nuclear
Solar
Hydrogen from water
Electrolysis
Thermal from HT nuclear reactors
Photo-electrolysis
Renewables
‘Supergrid’
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

3. Key Drivers
4/20/2017
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

4. Sources of Hydrogen A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH
Current US H2 refining / petrochemical demand is estimated at nine million tons annually (0.9 Quad 1015 Btu of H2). 0r 8.2 x 109 Kg/year $5/Kg now 100 million FC vehicles will need 40 million tons per year.
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

5. What is a Fuel Cell?
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

6. Fuel Cell Operation 500 – 1000 °C
porous cathode
Cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte sandwiched between the two.
Oxygen from the air flows through the cathode
A fuel gas containing hydrogen, such as methane, flows past the anode.
Oxygen ions migrate through the electrolyte and react with the hydrogen to form water
Water reacts with the methane fuel to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
Electrons from the electrochemical reaction flow from anode to cathode through an external load
electrolyte/membrane
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

7. Advantages of Fuel Cells
High efficiency
Modular
Quiet
Non Polluting - no NOx
Distributed
Combined heat and power
Load flexible
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

8. Fuel Cell History
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

9. Fuel Cell History
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

10. Fuel Cell Types I Alkaline (AFC) developed for the Apollo program
Polymer membrane (PEMC) leading candidate for transportation
Phosphoric acid (PAFC) 200kW units commercially available for combined heat and power (CHP)
Molten carbonate (MCFC) and solid oxide (SOFC) can work directly with hydrocarbon fuels – 200+kW demonstration units
Taken from B. C. H. Steele & A. Heinzel, Nature, 414 (2001) 345
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

11. Fuel Cell Types II
Taken from B. C. H. Steele & A. Heinzel, Nature, 414 (2001) 345
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

12. PEMFC
Electrodes (anode and the cathode) separated by a polymer membrane electrolyte.
Each of the electrodes is coated on one side with a thin platinum catalyst layer.
The electrodes, catalyst and membrane form the membrane electrode assembly.
Hydrogen and air are supplied on either side through channels formed in the flow field plates
Ballard® fuel cell
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

13. Advanced Fuel Cell Electrodes-PEM
A current DOE target is to develop alternative electrodes to replace the Pt and Pt-Ru electrodes that are used as cathode and anode electrocatalysts in PEM fuel cells.
Ideally the anode catalyst would be tolerant to CO and S present in the hydrogen fuel.
The figure shows a new class of non-Pt electrocatalysts that have activity comparable to Pt as shown by the performance of cell with the new catalyst as the anode.
% Anode = 0.35 mg/cm2 Pt Loading
% Anode = 0.72 mg/cm2 catalyst loading 50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
600
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Voltage (V)
Current Density (mA/cm2) 20 40 60 80
120
140
Power Density, (mW/cm2)
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

14. SOFC
Cathode (La,Sr)MnO m extruded tubular (2.2 mm) porous cathode
Interconnection (La,Sr)CrO3 plasma spraying (85 m)
Electrolyte 8%Y2O3-ZrO2 thick-film (30–40 m)
Anode Ni/ 8%Y2O3-ZrO2 porous layer (100 m) by a slurry-spray process
Siemens Westinghouse fuel cell
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

15. A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

16. A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

17. A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

18. Future Applications Application Size (kW) Fuel cell Fuel
Power systems –0.05 PEMFC hydrogen
for portable DMFC methanol
electronic devices SOFC methanol
Micro-Combined Heat 1–10 PEMFC LPG
and Power SOFC Natural gas, LPG
Auxiliary power units 1–10 SOFC LPG
Distributed Combined Heat 50–250 PEMFC natural gas
and Power MCFC natural gas SOFC natural gas
City buses PEMFC hydrogen
Large power units –10,000 SOFC/GT natural gas
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

19. Technical Challenges
Many Challenges in Materials and Materials Processing
CO tolerant electrocatalysts
Better membranes for PEMFC and DMFC
Intermediate temperature high performance electrodes
Low cost fabrication processes for SOFC
New materials!
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

20. Current Industrial Teams
Core Technology Program Participants:
Gas Technology Institute – Des Plaines, IL
Georgia Tech Research – Atlanta, GA
Montana State University – Bozeman, MT
NexTech Materials, Ltd – Worthington, OH
Northwestern University – Evanston, IL
Southwest Research Institute – San Antonio, TX
Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
University of Florida – Gainesville, FL
University of Illinois – Chicago, IL
University of Houston – Houston, TX
University of Missouri – Rolla, MO
University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
University of Utah – Salt Lake City, UT
University of Washington – Seattle, WA
Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA
Current Industrial Teams
Argonne National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

21. Water Electrolysis
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

22. Sources of Hydrogen
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH

23. Water Gas Shift Reactor
Hydrogen Production
Membrane reactor
CO2
Sequestration
CO2
CO2 +H2
Hydrogen
Separation
Device
(PSA, HTM)
Water Gas Shift Reactor
CO +H2 H2
Fuel Cells
A.J. Jacobson – CMC-UH