2023-07-27 ロイヤルメルボルン工科大学(RMIT)
The team has demonstrated the proton battery as a working device that can power small fans for several minutes. Credit: RMIT University
◆炭素を主な材料として使用しているため、リチウムやコバルトなどの他の電池に必要な貴重な資源を使わず、地球に優しいとされます。また、エネルギー効率が高く、非常に迅速な充電も可能です。現在はイタリアのEldor Corporationとの共同研究を進め、家庭や商業用途に適した蓄電容量を持つ試作バッテリーを開発し、さらなるスケールアップを目指しています。
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2023/jul/proton-battery
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775322007972?via%3Dihub
プロトン電池の性能向上 Enhancement of the performance of a proton battery
Seyed Mohammad Rezaei Niya, Shahin Heidari, John Andrews
Journal of Power Sources Available online: 9 July 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2022.231808
Abstract
The present paper reports on experiments to improve theoretical understanding of the basic processes underlying the operation of a ‘proton battery’ with activated carbon as a hydrogen storage electrode. Design changes to enhance energy storage capacity and power output have been identified and investigated experimentally. Key changes made were heating of the overall cell to 70 °C, and replacement of the oxygen-side gas diffusion layer with a much thinner titanium-fibre sheet. A very substantial increase in reversible hydrogen storage capacity to 2.23 wt%H (598 mAh g−1, 882 J g−1) was achieved. This capacity is nearly three times that of the earlier design, and more than double the highest electrochemical hydrogen storage using an acidic electrolyte previously reported. It is hypothesised that the main cause of the major gain in storage is an enhanced water formation reaction on the O-side through reduced flooding. In addition, an alternative mode of discharging a proton battery has been discovered that allows direct generation of hydrogen gas from the hydrogenated carbon material, by a ‘hydrogen-pump’ type of reaction. The hydrogen gas evolved is high purity, and thus may ultimately create opportunities for use of this storage technology in hydrogen supply chains for fuel cell vehicles.
