Beta-alumina solid electrolyte

A beta-alumina solid electrolyte is a type of ceramic material that allows for the transport of sodium ions at high temperatures, typically between 300 to 350°C (570 to 660°F). It is commonly used as an electrolyte in molten carbonate fuel cells and NaS batteries, where it facilitates the movement of carbonate and sodium ions, respectively. The material is typically composed of a chemically inert ceramic matrix, such as LiAlO2, and is referred to as a BASE membrane in NaS batteries.From: Modern Ceramic Engineering [2019], Molten carbonate fuel cells: a technological perspective and review [2021], Power Plant Synthesis [2020]

Electricity Production Hybrid Power Plants

View Chapter

Purchase Book

Published in Dimitris Al. Katsaprakakis, Power Plant Synthesis, 2020

Dimitris Al. Katsaprakakis

In NaS batteries, molten electrodes of sodium (negative) and sulfur (positive) are used. During the discharge process, sodium ions are conducted to knock-off free electrons, which in turn, while moving, generate electrical current. Electricity is eventually produced by the molten sodium electrode to the external load connected to the battery. The electrolyte used in a NaS battery is a beta-alumina solid electrolyte, referred to as BASE membrane. Apart from the power carrier task, the electrolyte also acts as a separator, permitting selectively only the sodium positive ions to pass through its mass and react with sulfur, producing eventually sodium polysulfide (Na2S4) [21] (Figure 3.12).

Molten carbonate fuel cells: a technological perspective and review

View Article

Journal Information

Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2021

Ricardo R. Contreras, Jorge Almarza, Luis Rincón

Molten carbonate fuel cells (Dicks 2004; Jiang and Li 2022) are devices designed to generate clean energy using molten carbonate as electrolyte, especially Li-Na and Li-K carbonate (Lee et al. 2018b, 2018a), suspended in a chemically inert ceramic matrix, commonly an alumina-type LiAlO2 (Antolini 2013) (BASE for Beta-alumina solid electrolyte), which allows the transport of carbonate ions. For this reason, MCFCs are high-temperature cells, operating at temperatures above 600°C. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an MCFC that works using hydrogen as fuel.

Beta-alumina solid electrolyte

Explore chapters and articles related to this topic

Electricity Production Hybrid Power Plants

Molten carbonate fuel cells: a technological perspective and review