Ceramics and glasses for energy technologies

Abstract

Energy technology is one the high priority areas of research and development, primarily due to rapid depletion of the existing resources of energy and their deleterious effect on the environment. Several of the emerging energy technologies, having higher conversion efficiency and higher energy/ power density are based on some of the unique properties of a few ceramic and glassy materials both in the areas of energy conversion and storage. Examples are Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) based on oxygen ion conducting solid electrolyte and electronically conducting anodic and cathodic current collectors, lithium ion battery in which lithium intercalated cobalt oxide is used as the cathode material, sodium sulphur battery for which sodium ion conducting beta alumina is the electrolyte material, energy harvesting based on piezoelectric ceramics and clean coal technology, which make use of the porosity and high temperature resistance of silicon carbide ceramics. Their basic principles and application potentialities are briefly discussed here with emphasis on the materials aspect in each case.