Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)

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INTRODUCTION (Web www.ukm.my/sofc/)

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have attracted increasing interest as low-emission, high-efficiency energy conversion devices for the production of electricity and, in some cases, heat, using a wide range of fuels. At the time of this writing, SOFCs had been launched into the early stage of commercial manufacture in some developed countries, with several hundreds of residential stationary power units (1 kW) being tested and larger units (100 kW or above) being evaluated by various utility companies around the world. Although great progress has been made, SOFC technology is still in the development stage, and several hurdles remain before the widespread commercialization of SOFCs can be realized.

For conventional SOFCs, a high operating temperature, typically between  800 °C and 1000 °C is required to ensure a sufficiently high ionic conductivity and fast electrode kinetics. However, the high operating temperature causes many serious problems, such as (1) severe restrictions on the choice of materials, (2) electrode sintering, (3) interfacial diffusion between electrode and electrolyte, and (4) mechanical stress due to different thermal expansion coefficients. These problems can be overcome, ideally by operating SOFCs at reduced temperatures (≤ 800 °C). By reducing the temperature to between 400 and 600 °C, system reliability and operational life increase, as does the possibility of using SOFCs for a wider variety of applications, including mobile and portable applications.

The SOFC research group at the Fuel Cell Institute, UKM, is headed by Professor Dr. Andanastuti Muchtar. The SOFC research group consists of 10 members, including researchers and graduate students. This group was established to meet the challenge of producing SOFCs that can operate from high to low temperatures to improve the SOFC life expectancy and reliability. This research group aims to develop SOFCs incorporating nano-sized materials composed of electrolytes and electrodes in order to operate efficiently at temperatures between 400 °C to 800 °C.

The research has focused on the development of oxides-based electrolytes, like bismuth oxide and doped ceria oxide materials. In addition, the group has developed perovskite lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) and barium strontium cobalt ferrite (BSCF) cathode materials for applications in IT-SOFCs. For the anode, nickel/scandia-stabilized zirconia (Ni/ScSZ) and nickel/samarium-doped ceria (Ni/SDC) materials have been investigated by improving the properties of the materials (e.g., processing conditions and particle size).

The production methods of the individual components of the cells are also given emphasis in the research. The newly set up state-of-the-art SOFC test station has been commissioned and deemed ready for use at the SOFC Lab to conduct the electrochemical performance analysis of the prepared button cells.

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RESEARCH TEAM

       Members

  • Prof. Dr. Andanastuti Muchtar – Project Leader
  • Prof. Dr. Norhamidi Muhamad
  • Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ir. Hj. Wan Ramli Wan Daud
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abu Bakar Sulong
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Syarif Junaidi
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Edy Herianto Majlan
  • Dr. Mahendra Rao Somalu

 

       Current Students

  • Muhammed Ali S.A (PhD)
  • Nurul Akidah Baharuddin (Master)
  • Lily Siong Mahmud (PhD)
  • Abdul Azim Jais (PhD)

 

        Alumni

  • Dr. Dedikarni Panuh
  • Dr. Hamimah Abd. Rahman
  • Mojgan Ahmadrezaei
  • Dr. Jarot Raharjo
  • Dr. Sufizar Ahmad
  • Dr. Noor Ashrina Abdul Hamid

 

        Post-doc

  • Dr. Shabana Parveen Shabbir Shaikh

 

AWARDS 

  • Second Prize – Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment
    Research Poster Competition (FKABRPC 2014), UKM, Malaysia – Effect sintering temperature on carbonate in lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite–samarium doped ceria carbonate cathode composite film for solid oxide fuel cells.
  • First Prize – Postgraduate Research Poster Competition (FKABPRPC 2013), UKM, Malaysia – Effects of sintering temperature on the surface roughness and electrical properties of samarium-doped ceria carbonate for solid oxide fuel cells.
  • Best poster award, Advanced Materials Conference (AMC 2012) Langkawi, Malaysia – Influence of calcination on the properties of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ-Samarium doped ceria carbonate composite cathodes for LT-SOFC.