Development of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite composite cathodes for intermediate- to low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer high energy conversion, low noise, low pollutant emission, and low processing cost. Despite many advantages, SOFCs face a major challenge in competing with other types of fuel cells because of their high operating temperature. The necessity to reduce the operational temperature of SOFCs has led to the development of research into the materials and fabrication technology of fuel cells. The use of composite cathodes significantly reduces the cathode polarization resistance and expands the triple phase boundary area available for oxygen reduction. Powder preparation and composite cathode fabrication also affect the overall performance of composite cathodes and fuel cells. Among many types of cathode materials, lanthanum-based materials such as lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (La1-xSrxCo1-yFeyO3-δ) have recently been discovered to offer great compatibility with ceria-based electrolytes in performing as composite cathode materials for intermediate- to low-temperature SOFCs (IT-LTSOFCs). This paper reviews various ceria-based composite cathodes for IT-LTSOFCs and focuses on the aspects of progress and challenges in materials technology

Effect of the annular solar eclipse of 15 January 2010 on the lower atmospheric boundary layer over a tropical rural station

This paper documents the effect of the annular solar eclipse of 15 January 2010 on the lower atmospheric boundary layer dynamics over a complex terrain environment at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E,) using a suite of instruments namely automatic weather station, mini boundary layer mast (15 m), Doppler SODAR, GPS radiosonde and ozonesonde observations. The net heating rates are estimated using radiative transfer algorithm before, during and after the eclipse. Effect on soil temperature is seen clearly up to 20 cm depth and at all the levels up to 15 m. Decrease in the thermal plume level, a dip in the surface layer and a strong vertical downdrafts (subsidence) are noticed during the peak eclipse. Upper layer winds did not show any variation during the eclipse. It is also found to have pronounced effect on all the surface meteorological parameters for a two-day period