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Regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) was prepared by dissolving in a CaCl 2 / ethanol/H 2 O solvent system, freezing, and lyophilization. The effect of freezing temperature, alcohol addition, and molecular weight on the morphological and conformational changes were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. However, the addition of a small amount of methanol induced the morphological change of RSF to a fine-particle aggregate, which resulted from the formation of a ␤-sheet crystalline structure. The lower the freezing temperature was, the more the formation of aggregates was favored, and the finer powder aggregates were formed. As the amount of added hydrophilic alcohol such as methanol and ethanol increased in the silk fibroin solution, a spherical powder form was changed to fine aggregates with the enhancement of thermal stability and crystallinity. On the other hand, RSFs prepared with a hydrophobic alcohol such as 1-butanol or 1-octanol showed a lump-like or sheet-like shape of morphology without any changes in conformational transition. It is concluded that the molecular weight of the silk fibroin and the type and amount of alcohol were determining factors in the morphological features of RSF, especially the size and shape of fibroin particles. A uniform ultrafine powder of RSF with a spherical form (ϳ 1 m) can be obtained when the molecular weight and the alcohol addition to the silk fibroin solution are controlled.

The microstructural optimization of two-layer cathodes in anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells ͑SOFCs͒ was numerically performed by a comprehensive microscale model developed by the authors. The single-cell performances of anode-supported SOFCs, recently reported by Zhao and Virkar, were studied to provide the detailed information on the electrochemical processes occurring in the SOFCs. Good agreements between the numerical and experimental results were observed which also ensured the validity of the present calculation. The dependence of the electrochemical reaction and the mass transport on the particle size of each layer in two-layer cathodes was then studied. The optimal microstructure for two-layer cathodes was determined as a mean particle diameter of 0.5 m and a thickness of 15 m for cathode functional layers, and a mean particle diameter of 4.0 m and a thickness of 85 m for cathode current collector layers. The stack-cell performances of anode-supported SOFCs were also studied by fully considering the effect of interconnect rib geometry, e.g., the contact resistance, in-plane ohmic loss, and nonuniformity of current generation. Based on the simulation results, the geometrical criterion for interconnect rib geometry to obtain better performance was discussed.Solid oxide fuel cells ͑SOFCs͒ are high-temperature fuel cells that utilize the ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes at high temperatures ͑650-1000°C͒. 1,2 The high operation temperature enables the use of natural gas, liquidified petroleum gas ͑LPG͒, and methanol as fuels of SOFCs after internal reforming in anodes to produce hydrogen from the hydrocarbons. The high efficiency of SOFCs is primarily due to the fast electrochemical reaction at those elevated temperatures. In addition, the overall efficiency can be even more enhanced when high-quality waste heat is utilized by hybrid or cogeneration systems combined with SOFCs.Many researchers are currently working on the development of SOFCs that can operate at intermediate temperature range, less than 800°C. 3-7 The relatively low operation temperature is believed to enhance the long-term stability of SOFCs with reduced thermal degradation of electrodes due to operational sintering. However, low ionic conductivities of the electrolyte at those reduced temperatures hinder the use of thick electrolytes as in electrolyte-supported SOFCs. Anode-supported SOFCs with thinner electrolytes attracted much research interest for their relatively low operation temperature and also for their high current densities and low fabrication costs. 6 Typically, an anode-supported SOFC is fabricated to have a thick cermet anode made of nickel ͑Ni͒ and yttria-stabilized zirconia ͑YSZ͒, and a thin composite cathode made of strontium-doped lanthanum manganite ͑LSM͒ and YSZ, attached to either side of a very thin YSZ electrolyte. In general, the thicknesses of SOFC components are ϳ1 mm for the anode, ϳ50 m for the cathode, and ϳ10 m for the electrolyte. The electrodes of anodesupported SOFCs are frequently made to have mu...

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