RdS – Frontier materials for energy applications

Piano triennale di realizzazione 2019-2021 della ricerca di sistema elettrico nazionale. Project: Frontier materials for energy applications

Principal investigator: Alessandra Sanson

Involved personnel: Angela Gondolini, Elisa Mercadelli, Alex Sangiorgi, Simone Casadio, Andrea Bartoletti, Paola Pinasco, Cesare Melandri

Starting date: 2019
Duration: 36 months
Total funding CNR: 700.000 € (WP2 368.993,97 €)
Action: Accordo di programma MiSE-CNR
Coordinator: Lidia Armelao (CNR-ICMATE)
Consortium: CNR, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Official web site: http://www.ricercadisistema.it/#/

Materials represent a fundamental key enabling technology for the development of widespread and more efficient energetic systems. The project is focused on two main topics that are increasingly important for a transition toward a green economy: wind technology for marine environment and solar mediated hydrogen economy.

In the field of solar-driven chemistry, an important technological aspect is represented by the separation / capture / purification of the gases (reagents and products) used. This issue is intimately connected with the development of efficient systems for the separation and purification of hydrogen from other process gases. Membrane technologies can be an interesting solution if low-cost and available raw materials are used, and materials suitably engineered for the specific application.

In this respect, CNR-ISTEC is involved in WP2 aiming to develop and testing metallic and ceramic membranes for hydrogen separation. All-ceramic composite membranes for high-temperature hydrogen separation will be developed as asymmetric configuration (i.e. dense layer supported on a porous substrate) by coupling a protonic conducting phase, BaCe0.65Zr0.2Y0.15O3-δ (BCZY), with an electronic conductor consisting of a Gd doped cerium oxide (GDC).
In particular, CNR-ISTEC research activity aims at i) identify validated and standardized procedures for the thermal-mechanical characterization of green ceramic tapes produced by tape-casting and employed for the fabrication of asymmetric ceramic membranes; ii) produce highly-performant ceramic membranes constituted by engineered porous support obtained via freeze-casting and micro-extrusion technique; iii) critically study of membranes mechanical-properties examining the influence of membranes aging as a consequence of the exposure to different operational atmospheres.

Publications

• E. Mercadelli, A. Gondolini, D. Montaleone, P. Pinasco, S. Escolástico, J.M. Serra, A. Sanson “Production strategies of asymmetric BaCe0.65Zr0.20Y0.15O3-δ–Ce0.8Gd0.2O2-δ membrane for hydrogen separation” Int. J. Hydrogen En. (2020) 45 (12), 7468-7478
• E. Mercadelli, A. Gondolini, D. Montaleone, P. Pinasco, A. Sanson “Innovative strategy for designing proton conducting ceramic tapes and multilayers for energy applications” J. Eur. Ceram Soc. 41 (1) (2021) 488-496.