The Project
For many years, since late 80s, hydrogen has been considered as an alternative fuel that has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions thus solving many of the environmental issues we are still facing today. A hydrogen-based circular economy makes possible the idea of a low-carbon energy system (ES) where water is the only emission. However, we must keep in mind that hydrogen is just an energy carrier, useful to store energy, but not a primary source of energy: a primary energy source is still needed for the liberation of hydrogen. Renewables sources may give us clean and sustainable electrical energy, but the intermittency is something which is difficult and expensive to manage, due to the insufficient buffering or storage capacity. For example, if we inject all produced electricity immediately into the grid, we may encounter situations with way too much electricity, which may blow up the whole network. On the other hand, if we rely too much on renewables it is possible that suddenly we don’t have enough electricity, due to their unpredictability.
Hydrogen can be produced using a variety of techniques such as water electrolysis, which basically consists of splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen by using electricity over two electrodes, would absorb electricity in surplus situations allowing its storage in form of hydrogen energy vector. Later, you can use it as a clean transport fuel, converting it back to electricity using fuel cell technology or injecting it into the natural gas grid. The ability to store electricity using hydrogen could make wind and solar power a secure energy source, freeing Europe from its dependency on imported fossil fuels.
Fuel cells (FCs) are static energy conversion devices that produce electricity via an electrochemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidizing agent, and can be used to extract the energy stored in form of hydrogen. Fuel cells may produce electricity from several domestic fuels, including hydrogen and methane, and can provide power for virtually any application - from cars and buses to commercial buildings, from electronic devices to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Fuel cells may be used as onsite back-up power generators minimizing the threat of interruptions to electrical power supply. Onsite, dispersed power generation can reduce potential power outages due to weather, terrorist activities, or lack of utility generating capacity. Fuel cell technology is highly efficient and produces clean energy with many side benefits, including reducing air, greenhouse gases and noise pollution.
URANUS project aims to investigate and increase the specific energy performance of hydrogen solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), fabricated by using electrodes based on nanoporous and nanodispersed materials. An increase in the power density for SOFC is possible by increasing the performance of single elements in the device, for example by nanostructuring the electrodes to promote faster redox reactions. The main goal of URANUS project is to demonstrate the advantages of nanostructured materials for the fabrication of solid oxide fuel cells. Due to the nano-engineering of both anode and cathode materials, we aim at increasing the performances of SOFC when hydrogen is used as fuel, in terms of conversion efficiency, power delivery and operating temperature.
For this purpose, University of Brescia (UNIBS), a top-level laboratory well-recognized in the field of nanotechnology, will focus on the design and fabrication of an optimized anode based on Nickel Oxide – Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (NiO-YSZ) and Nickel Oxide – Gadolinium Doped Ceria (NiO-GDC) nanowires, also studying the effect of metal/metal oxide decoration on the surface of nanowires.
Likewise, an optimized cathode perovskite-based material such as La1−xSrxMO3-δ (M = Co, Mn or Fe) (LSM) and LaxSr1−xCo1−yFeyO3-δ (LSCF), obtained by the Pechini method, will be developed by Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (VSPNU). To improve the performance of SOFC with cathodes perovskite-based on LSM and LSCF, the use of a gadolinium-doped ceria (LSM/GDC) and (LSCF/GDC) nanoparticles is proposed.
At the same time, the exceptional stability of the crystalline materials developed in URANUS will be exploited to further promote the robustness of SOFC during long term operation, reducing the common grain coalescence phenomenon of commercial cells that strongly affect the performances. However, prototypal fuel cells developed in URANUS may work with other kind of fuels too, such as methane and biogas, and their performance will be evaluated to broaden the possible on-field applications of these cell.
Finally, URANUS will promote the dissemination of knowledge among the participant countries, both among a public audience and young researchers, supporting their mobility and providing a solid background for their future positions and activities.
