The University is working on the Creation of New Energy Sources

11:55, December 4, 2017

Scientists improve batteries by creating hybrid chemical energy sources

The scientists of Ural Federal University and the Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry of the Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences work on the development of new chemical energy sources with high consumer characteristics.

UrFU Professor and the Director of the Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry Maxim Ananiev told the popular science website N + 1:

"One of the promising areas for developing batteries is the creation of hybrid chemical energy sources based on combining metal-ion batteries with an air electrode, as in fuel cells."

The group of scientists is working on the creation of highly efficient electrochemical devices and autonomous power generators for applications in distribution energy. The power installations on solid oxide and proton-ceramic fuel cells, created in collaboration with Rosatom, successfully passed testing. According to Ananiev, this is the first production of such power installations in Russia. It was tested at the cathodic protection station for gas-pipe lines at the experimental site of Uraltransgaz. The power installation with a rated capacity of 1.5 kilowatts worked more than 10 thousand hours and showed a high potential of such devices.

The joint laboratory of UrFU and the Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry is also developing the electrochemical devices based on the proton-conducting ceramic membrane.

"In the near future, this will allow to reduce the operating temperatures for solid oxide fuel cells from 900 to 500 degrees Celsius and to abandon the preliminary reforming of hydrocarbon fuels, thus creating cost-effective electrochemical generators capable of operating in conditions of developed infrastructure of gas supply in Russia," added Ananiev.

Reference

"Perspective technologies of electrochemical energy from chemical design of new materials to new generation electrochemical devices for conservation and conversion of energy" is one of six mega-projects that are aimed at breakthrough directions of scientific research. The group of scientists of the Strategic Academic Unit “UrFU School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics”, which includes Maxim Ananyev, is engaged in the design and development of new materials and technologies, including fuel cells, electrolytic cells, metal-graphene batteries, electrochemical storage systems and supercapacitors. Research and scientific work are conducted in constant interaction with the Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry of the Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Science and with the support of partners.