R. J. Gorte Department of Chemical
Engineering University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Fuel cells are an
attractive method for electrical power generation because they offer the possibility
of very high efficiencies compared to normal heat engines. One of the major
hurdles preventing their implementation for a wide variety of applications is
the fact that only H2 could be used as the fuel. We have recently
demonstrated that stable power generation, without either internal or external
reforming, can be achieved through the direct oxidation of hydrocarbons,
including liquids,
using a solid-oxide fuel cell (S. Park, J. M. Vohs, and R. J. Gorte, Nature, 404
(2000) 265). The anodes in these direct-oxidation SOFCs were composites made of
Cu, ceria, and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). In this talk, the methods for
preparing and characterizing these anodes will be described. Finally, possibilities for commercialization
will be discussed.
Abstract in MS Word format.