Freeze Casting of Tubular Sulfur Tolerant Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

This STTR project seeks to overcome the performance limitations of experimental sulfur tolerant SOFC materials by combining two elements of efficient SOFC design: 1) micro-tubular arrays (OD<1 cm); and 2) freeze cast anodes providing high levels of aligned porosity that maximizes anode surface area and gas delivery. In Phase I TA & T and Montana State University (MSU) will collaborate to define freeze casting process parameters that provide the desired microstructure, conduct single cell tests to measure performance and sulfur resistance, use ceramic additive manufacturing technology to achieve compact and durably sealed manifolds for the micro-tube array, and develop a baseline design for a 250W power generator.