Coating coup set to cut fuel cell cost

Researchers claim they have made a breakthrough in manufacturing methods for coating ceramic surfaces

Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University claim they have made a breakthrough in manufacturing methods for coating ceramic surfaces which could reduce the cost of solid oxide fuel cells.

The researchers, from the advanced materials group in the school of engineering at the university, said the technology also offered potential as a surface coating in industries where wear, heat, corrosion and fouling cause problems – such as oil and gas, water and energy production. 

Alan Davidson, head of the materials centre, said solid oxide fuel cells were seen as a possible replacement as gas boilers for domestic use. “There’s a huge potential for giving combined heat and power.” He said the researchers had developed a way of making solid oxide fuel cells that was “completely different from what’s out there already”.

The researchers are using a novel process, similar to electroplating, on non-metals such as ceramics. They claimed it reduces the cost of making a fuel cell anode 10-fold. There are similar cost reductions for the cathode, said Davidson. The technology can also be used to coat other complex geometries, he added. “It’s just a case of dumping it into a liquid with the ceramic and the co-deposition takes place.”

The researchers are working on a major project with an oil and gas company. The fuel cells process has been granted a patent in some regions. Ultimately, the aim would be to spin out a small company from the university that might license the technology to other manufacturers.

“The difficulty in penetration is that a lot of fuel cell companies have already invested in the machinery for more expensive methods of manufacture,” Davidson claimed. “Because this hasn’t taken off yet, it’s not feasible for them to dump that stuff. We are too late for companies that have invested, and too early for others that are waiting to see what happens.”

Solid oxide fuel cell technology will need to drop in price until it commands a similar level to conventional gas boilers, he said. “But it’s got the advantage that you get combined heat and power – and the emissions are a lot less.”

Davidson said the governments of South Korea and Japan were subsidising the technology. “But there are two key issues in the UK – one is the cost, and the other is the endurance, or the performance over five or 10 years.”