Technology Available for Licensing

Case 13845

Strain-Induced Activity Enhancement for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysis and Oxygen Ion Transport

Keywords:

Strained oxide materials, Catalysts, Oxygen reduction reactions, Oxygen ion transport, Thin-film deposition

Applications:

Electrochemical energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells, catalytic reaction chambers, and membranes for oxygen gas separation in oxyfuel combustion systems

Problem:

Limited surface exchange efficiency of traditional bulk oxide materials

Technology:

This invention introduces strained oxide materials that include epitaxial thin-film deposition, core-shell particle synthesis and thermal and/or chemical induced strain of epitaxial thin-film or core-shell particles. The strain is induced by the lattice mismatch between the shell and core materials, and by the curvature of the core particle and conformal coating of the shell. The procedure for preparing the substrate and deposing the thin-films is provided.

Advantages:

• Significant improvement of electrical and chemical surface exchange coefficients
• Fabrication at low costs

Inventors:

• Professor Yang Shao-Horn (Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT)
• Dr. Gerardo J. La O’ (Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT)
• Dr. Sung-Jin Ahn (Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT)
• Ethan Jon Crumlin (Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT)

Intellectual Property:

PCT Patent Application PCT/US2010/01973, filed on July 14, 2010

Publications:

N/A

Please contact: Christopher R. Noble MIT Technology Licensing Officer 1 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square, NE18-501 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142-1601

Email: crn@mit.edu Tel: 617-253-6966 Fax: 617–258-6790 Website: http://tlo.mit.edu