Liquid metals fuel cell

Binary liquid metal systems were used in liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic generators and liquid-metal fuel cell systems for which boiling heat transfer characteristics were required. Mori et al. (1970) studied a binary liquid metal of mercury and the eutectic alloy of bismuth and lead flowing through a vertical, alloy steel tube of 2.54-cm (1-in) O.D., which was heated by radiation in an electric furnace. In their experiments, both axial and radial temperature distributions were measured, and the liquid temperature continued to increase when boiling occurred. A radial temperature gradient also existed even away from the thin layer next to the... 

Example. The Pechini method for fuel cell electrode preparation. La, Ba, Mn niU ates - - CgHgO — citrate complex - - C2FI6O2 — gel. Metal nitrates are complexed with citric acid, and then heated with ethylene glycol to form a transparent gel. This is then heated to 600 K to decompose the organic content and then to temperatures between 1000 and 1300K to produce tire oxide powder. The oxide materials prepared from the liquid metal-organic procedures usually have a more uniform particle size, and under the best circumstances, this can be less than one micron. Hence these particles are much more easily sintered at lower temperatures than for the powders produced by tire other methods. 

It was quite recently reported that La can be electrodeposited from chloroaluminate ionic liquids [25]. Whereas only AlLa alloys can be obtained from the pure liquid, the addition of excess LiCl and small quantities of thionyl chloride (SOCI2) to a LaCl3-sat-urated melt allows the deposition of elemental La, but the electrodissolution seems to be somewhat Idnetically hindered. This result could perhaps be interesting for coating purposes, as elemental La can normally only be deposited in high-temperature molten salts, which require much more difficult experimental or technical conditions. Furthermore, La and Ce electrodeposition would be important, as their oxides have interesting catalytic activity as, for instance, oxidation catalysts. A controlled deposition of thin metal layers followed by selective oxidation could perhaps produce cat-alytically active thin layers interesting for fuel cells or waste gas treatment. 

Gary Jacobs and Burt Davis (University of Kentucky) review catalysts used for low-temperature water gas shift, one of the key steps in fuel processors designed to convert liquid fuels into hydrogen-rich gas streams for fuel cells. These catalysts must closely approach the favorable equilibrium associated with low temperatures, but be active enough to minimize reactor volume. The authors discuss both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts for this reaction, with the latter including bases and metal carbonyls. 

Spray pyrolysis routes have been extensively investigated to prepare Pt-based catalysts. Typically, a liquid feed of metal precursor and carbon is atomized into an aerosol and fed into a continuous furnace to evaporate and heat-treat to form a collectable powder. The method has good control over final aggregate particle size and metal particle size distributions, as well as producing powder without further isolation or separation. Hampton-Smith et al. have reviewed efforts of Superior MicroPowder (now Cabot Fuel Cells) in this area. ... 

In electrochemical systems, metal meshes have been widely used as the backing layers for catalyst layers (or electrodes) [26-29] and as separators [30]. In fuel cells where an aqueous electrolyte is employed, metal screens or sheets have been used as the diffusion layers with catalyst layers coated on them [31]. In direct liquid fuel cells, such as the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), there has been research with metal meshes as DLs in order to replace the typical CFPs and CCs because they are considered unsuitable for the transport and release of carbon dioxide gas from the anode side of the cell [32]. 

In recent years, the use of transparent fuel cells has increased substantially due to the need for a better understanding of liquid water accumulation on the surface of the DLs and flow through the FF channels. In most transparent cells, either the cathode or the anode (or both) has transparent polycarbonate end plates that act as windows and sit on top of the corresponding FF plates. These plates are normally thin and made out of metal, such as stainless steel or gold-plated brass, and their thickness is equal to the depth of the FF channels (i.e., the charmels are machined all the way through the plate). Thus, the transparent end plate also acts as part of the charmels. 

Catalysts. - Group VIII metals, conventional base metal catalysts (Ni, Co, and Fe) as well as noble metal catalysts (Pt, Ru, Rh, Pd) are active for the SR reaction. These are usually dispersed on various oxide supports. y-Alumina is widely used but a-alumina, magnesium aluminate, calcium aluminate, ceria, magnesia, pervoskites, and zirconia are also used as support materials. The following sections discuss the base metal and noble metal catalysts in detail, focusing on liquid hydrocarbon SR for fuel cell applications. 

Solid state materials that can conduct electricity, are electrochemically of interest with a view to (a) the conduction mechanism, (b) the properties of the electrical double layer inside a solid electrolyte or semiconductor, adjacent to an interface with a metallic conductor or a liquid electrolyte, (c) charge-transfer processes at such interfaces, (d) their possible application in systems of practical interest, e.g. batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis cells, and (e) improvement of their operation in these applications by modifications of the electrode surface, etc. 

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