燃料电池（SOFC）可让无人机飞行更长时间

智能机可一周充电一次 微型燃料电池可让无人机飞行1小时

　　无人机已经在包裹投递和搜索营救等领域得到了认可，然而飞行时间却因为电池的限制而成为最大的短板。如果增加更多的电池，又会给机身整体质量带来负担。有鉴于此，浦项工科大学（Postech）将目光投向了燃料电池。研究团队已经打造出了一种微型燃料电池，称其不仅能够让无人机在空中飞行1个多小时，还有望在不远的将来为智能机和汽车供能。

       由该校Gyeong Man Choi教授和博士生Kun Joong Kim开发的这种固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC），据说是首款采用了多孔不锈钢和电解质薄膜的设计（铸造叠层烧结技术）。由于电极热容量很低，这种混搭不仅提升了性能，还拥有更长的耐久性。

　　团队还将目光瞄向了此前的SOFC，考虑用硅元素和平版印刷蚀刻来改善快速降解和低耐久性（经历热膨胀后会出现电解质“对齐”的问题）。

　　研究人员称，不锈钢的使用，克服了困扰SOFC的最大问题——长时间高温工作导致的启动时间过长、以及机械和化学兼容性方面的问题。

　　在第三代燃料电池中，其采用了不会遇到腐蚀损耗问题的简单结构，550℃（1022℉）下的峰值能量密度为560mW/cm³，并且能够在快速热循环中保持这一成绩。

　　在功率密度和可靠性得到保证之后，团队表示该燃料电池有望为一系列电子设备提供替代能源，比如智能手机和笔记本电脑上的锂离子电池。

　　考虑到每个电芯只有78m㎡大小，其快速打开和关闭时间会与锂离子电池相似，但能量密度却是后者的数倍。如果智能机用上了这种电池，那它将只需一周充电一次。

　　浦项工科大学的这种固体氧化物燃料电池，是通过氢转换来产生电力的。97的“湿”氢气和3%的氧气混合物被作为燃料，送到了阳极来发电。

　　固体氧化物材料扮演了电解质的角色，让负氧离子从阴极传导至阳极。离子穿过固体电解质，氧化了燃料，反应产生的电子经外部电路提供能源。

　　尽管这一燃料电池仍处于原型阶段，但研究人员会朝着更大更便宜（但功率密度也更高）的方向去继续努力。这项研究的细节已经发表在近日出版的《科学报告》。

With This Fuel Cell, Drones Can Now Fly Longer Researchers have developed a solid oxide fuel cell that has greater capacity than its lithium ion predecessors, allowing drones to have longer flight times. Asian Scientist Newsroom  | March 21, 2016  |  Technology     AsianScientist (Mar. 21, 2016) - Researchers have developed a miniaturized fuel cell that gives drones a longer flight time, at over an hour. Their results were published in Scientific Reports. Drones are used for various applications such as aero picturing, disaster recovery and deliveries. Despite attracting attention as a new growth area, most drones can only fly for less than an hour due to limited battery capacity. Professor Choi Gyeong Man from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH and his research team have developed a miniaturized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to replace lithium ion batteries in drones, smartphones, laptops and other small electronic devices. This fuel cell could also be adapted for use in smartphones that only need charging once a week. The SOFC, a third-generation fuel cell, has been intensively studied since it has a simple structure and does not corrode or lose electrolytes. It converts hydrogen into electricity by oxygen-ion migration to fuel electrodes through oxide electrolytes.  Typically, silicon is used as a supporting component of small oxide fuel cells. However, it is prone to rapid degradation or poor durability. Thus, the research team developed a new technology that combines porous stainless steel, which is thermally and mechanically strong and highly stable, with thin-film electrolytes and electrodes of minimal heat capacity.  Performance and durability were increased simultaneously—the fuel cells exhibited a high power density of ~560 mW cm2 at 550°C. In addition, the fuel cells are made by commercially viable techniques. The research team expects this fuel cell may be suitable for portable electronic devices that require high power-density and quick on/off. They also expect to develop large and inexpensive fuel cells as a power source for next-generation automotives. The article can be found at: Kim et al. (2016) Micro Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Fabricated on Porous Stainless Steel: A New Strategy for Enhanced Thermal Cycling Ability. Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: http://www.asianscientist.com/2016/03/tech/fuel-cell-drones-fly-longer/（转载）