• Tsampas, Michail
• Mushtaq, Usman
• Sharma, Rakesh K.
• Welzel, Stefan
• Van De Sanden, Richard

Abstract

Protonic ceramic solid oxide cells (P-SOCs) have gained widespread attention due to their potential for operation in the temperature range of 300−500 °C, which is not only beneficial in terms of material stability but also offers unique possibilities from a thermodynamic point of view to realize a series of reactions.<br/>For instance, they are ideal for the production of synthetic fuels by hydrogenation of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, upgradation of hydrocarbons, or dehydrogenation reactions. However, the development of P-SOC is quite challenging because it requires a multifront optimization in terms of material synthesis and fabrication procedures. Herein, we report in detail a method to overcome various fabrication challenges for the development of efficient and robust electrode-supported P-SOCs (Ni-BCZY/BCZY/Ni-BCZY) based on a BaCe0.2Zr0.7Y0.1O3−δ (BCZY271) electrolyte. We examined the effect of pore formers on the porosity of the Ni-BCZY support electrode, various electrolyte deposition techniques (spray, spin, and vacuum-assisted), and thermal treatments for developing robust and flat half-cells. Half-cells containing a thin (10−12 μm) pinhole-free electrolyte layer were completed by a screen-printed Ni-BCZY electrode and evaluated as an electrochemical hydrogen pump to access the functionality. The P-SOCs are found to show a current density ranging from 150 to 525 mA cm−2 at 1 V over an operating temperature range of 350−450 °C. The faradaic efficiency of the P-SOCs as well as their stability were also evaluated.

Topics

• Deposition
• density
• impedance spectroscopy
• pore
• Carbon
• Nitrogen
• Hydrogen
• current density
• porosity
• ceramic