Altered pH greatly increases solid oxide fuel cell lifespan, say MIT researchers
Researchers from MIT have determined that by changing the pH level of a solid oxide fuel cell, those systems – and many other types of technology – can benefit from notably longer lifespans. The research would apply to cells and electrolyzers using solid metal oxides for their chemical reactions. The MIT researchers published their study in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science as an open access paper. The reason that electrolyzer technology using solid metal oxides are an important focus is due to their efficiency for using renewable energy (such as solar or wind) as a source of electricity that can be converted into storable fuel such as hydrogen. Similarly, within a fuel cell, that H2 can be used to produce electricity regardless of whether there is sun or wind to generate the power at that precise moment. In this way, the fuel cell system makes it possible to benefit from using renewable energy while overcoming its reliability challenges. Moreover, that type of syste