The increasing demand for electrical energy storage requires the exploration of alternative battery chemistries that overcome the limitations of the current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. In this scenario, lithium-sulfur batteries stand out for their high theoretical energy density. However, several inherent limitations still hinder their commercialization. In this work, we report the synthesis and study of two high-performance activated carbon-based materials that allow to overcome the most challenging limitations of sulfur electrodes, i. e., low electronic conductivity and the polysulfide shuttle effect. The two tailored nanomaterials are based on porous carbon structures mixed with conductive reduced graphene oxide, one derived from an organic waste and the other from an organic synthetic route. These structures not only feature excellent individual properties, but also present excellent performance when implemented in batteries, related to their superior conductivity and polysulfide trapping ability, allowing to obtain improved rate capacity and high sulfur loading cycling. Additionally, we demonstrate the scalability of the best performing material by the assembly of high-performance pouch cells.
In this work, the guidelines for the design of the thermal management of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and numerical optimization tools are proposed. These approaches combine acting both on operating conditions and cell geometry. Initially, the influence of inlet gas flows is evaluated, describing how to optimize the flows while maximizing the energetic outcome. Afterwards, a description of how numerical methods can allow fitting feeding gas temperatures to avoid overheating is provided. Finally, we go a step further by optimizing interconnect plate geometries in order to minimize internal temperature gradients. All in all, a demonstration of how CFD studies can accelerate SOFC design in order to maximize performance and extend lifespan is provided.
Green hydrogen is widely considered as a reliable solution to provide flexibility to a renewable energy-based system, decarbonize hard-to-abate-sectors and achieve a net zero emissions scenario. In this sense, Solid Oxide Electrolyzers (SOE) are meant to play an important role for the production of green hydrogen. In order to fulfill high performance and durability requirements, SOE stack design needs to be carefully contemplated. For that purpose, the design of the interconnect plates is evaluated in this work. Simulations conclude that interconnector plate manifold is the most influential cell feature in terms of flow distribution and therefore, a simple modification in the number of inlets and outlets can improve flow distribution, conducting to normalized mass flows near to the unit and low pressure drop. Finally, by adjusting interconnect plate internal design, flow distribution is further improved and thermal gradients are reduced below the desirable limit of 10 K·cm-1.
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