Recent Developments in Mixed Ionic and Electronic Conducting Electrodes for the Alkali Metal Thermal Electric Converter (AMTEC)

摘要

Mixed ionic and electronic conducting electrodes (MIECEs) have recently gained more attention in the development of the Alkali Metal Thermal Electric Converter (AMTEC). The advantage of MIECEs, as their name implies, is that they allow both electronic transport and ionic transport within the matrix of their materials. This lowers charge transport resistances, which lowers overall electrical resistances of the electrochemical system, and, thus, can improve reaction rates for a given apparent or superficial surface area of the electrode. The AMTEC system is a self‐contained, self‐regenerating compact technology that electrochemically converts heat directly to electricity. Our latest developments for AMTEC MIECEs are presented. These include electrodes formulated from various blends of titanium nitride or molybdenum with titanium dioxide. The general formulation, application, processing and testing methods for these electrodes are presented. Measured power densities of selected MIECEs are given. The physical morphology, and composition of our MIECEs are also described. Finally, a possible operational mechanism for these electrodes is proposed. © 2003 American Institute of Physics