Microstructure evolution of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes characterized by persistent homology

Persistent Homology Analysis of the Microstructure of Laser-Powder-Bed-Fused Al–12Si Alloy

“…When the particles were thickened, the spherical morphology changed to a square morphology (Figure 2e-h). This is due to thickening based on the Manhattan distance [56]. The Manhattan distance is defined as the minimum number of times a boundary is passed when moving from one position to another; in the PH analysis, black pixels with a Manhattan distance of 1 from the boundary between white and black pixels were changed to white pixels (see Supplementary Materials, Figure S1).…”

Molecular Complexation of Polymers and Metal Oxide Clusters for Semicrystalline, Thermoplastic Anhydrous Proton Exchange Membranes in Fuel Cells

“…Proton conductors have been intensely studied because of their applications in energy conversion and storage devices. , Nafion proton exchange membranes have achieved great success in the fabrication of commercialized fuel cell devices; however, a mild working environment, e.g., high humidity [>90% relative humidity (RH)] and an intermediate temperature of <80 °C, is required to maintain the water channel structures in the membranes for promising proton conductivity. , The extension of the operation conditions of the fuel cells to higher temperature and low humidity can reduce the risk of electrode catalyst poisoning by the impurities in fuel gases and lead to feasible water and thermal management of the devices . In addition, an enhanced lifetime and a reduced cost can boost a fuel cell’s practical application as the power source for vehicles and energy storage devices. − Anhydrous proton conductors (APCs) are desired, and various non-aqueous proton carrier molecules (PCMs), including imidazole, phosphoric acid, and super-acidic polyoxometalates (POMs), have been explored because their hydrogen bonding networks can direct proton hopping for high anhydrous proton conductivity. − The dispersion of PCMs in porous framework or engineering plastics is generally applied to ensure their thermal stability, which, nevertheless, faces the issue of poor stability from severe PCM leaching as well as costly processing. , The covalent bonding of PCMs to porous media or a polymer matrix offers both high thermal and performance stabilities, while the dynamics of PCM could slow and lead to poor proton conductivities. , The extra synthetic effort could also hinder extensive application and commercialization for device fabrication. Moreover, mobile fuel cell devices require proton exchange membranes with certain flexibility, processability, and promising interfacial contact with electrodes.…”