Tez özetleri Astronomi ve Uzay Bilimleri Anabilim Dalı

The Preperatıon Of Nano Sızed Solıd Oxıde Fuel Cell Electrolytes By Mıcroemulsıon Method

As lifetime of fosil energy resources only 50 years more could be anticipated. Despite of this, endustry is expanding faster and necessity of alternative energy becomes more important day by day. Hydrogen energy is estimated to compansate most of the energy requirements in the future. Fuel cells are thought to be so common because of including productive, economic, silent, environment protective and adaptable to hydrogen production devices. Chemical energy of fuel gases can be directly converted to electrical energy by low cost and non-air poluted pieces used in fuel cells. The development of fuel cells are related to producing more effective electolytes or anot / cathode combinations. If our country is considered not to be so far from this new technology, all researches must be intensify on fuel cell and its main materials.

Microemulsion is water – oil emulsion in micro sizes. The preperation method affects physical properties of electrolyte which are direclty related with effectiveness of fuel cell. While preparation doping new chemical substances to electrolyte changes chemical properties of main material such as ionic strenght, electrical conductivity etc.

In this work, it was tried try to prepare nano sized electrolytes by microemulsion method and develope chemical properties by doping chemical substances such as Ce, Sc and some other metals.

The preperation methods of zirconia based electrolytes were examined and microemulsion method was selected as method because of efficiency and low cost from all preperation methods. For comperaiton the results also Pechini method is considered as sub-method. As an aim of preperation nano-sized electrolytes, obtaining uniform structure, thermal stability, high corrosion resistance and chemical activity, enhancing touch surfaces, good sintering behaviour and applicibility was estimated.

Zirconia was chosen as the main material of electolyte cause of high ionic (including structural oxygen gaps) and low electrical conductivity. Optimal parameters were taken from literature and applied to prepare nano sized ZrO₂ and the electrolyte characterization studies performed by XRD, TEM, SEM analysis.