Boosting the performance and durability of heterogeneous electrodes for solid oxide electrochemical cells utilizing a data-driven powder-to-power framework.

Solid oxide electrochemical cells (SOCs) hold potential as a critical component in the future landscape of renewable energy storage and conversion systems. However, the commercialization of SOCs still requires further breakthroughs in new material development and engineering designs to achieve high performance and durability. In this study, a data-driven powder-to-power framework has been presented, fully digitizing the morphology evolution of heterogeneous electrodes from fabrication to long-term operation. This framework enables accurate performance prediction over the full life cycle. The intrinsic correlation between microstructural parameters and electrode durability is elucidated through parameter analysis. Rational control of the ion-conducting phase volume fraction can effectively suppress Ni coarsening and mitigate the excessive ohmic loss caused by Ni migration. The initial and degraded electrode performances are attributed to the interplay of multiple parameters. A practical optimization strategy to enhance the initial performance and durability of the electrode is proposed through the construction of the surrogate model and the application of the optimization algorithm. The optimal electrode parameters are determined to accommodate various maximum operation time requirements. By implementing the data-driven powder-to-power framework, it is possible to reduce the degradation rate of Ni-based electrodes from 2.132% to 0.703% kh-1 with a required maximum operation time of over 50,000 h.

Electrochemical stability of Sm(0.5)Sr(0.5)CoO(3-δ)-infiltrated YSZ for solid oxide fuel cells/electrolysis cells.

Composite SSC (Sm(0.5)Sr(0.5)CoO(3-δ))-YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia) oxygen electrodes were prepared by an infiltration process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the composite electrodes showed the formation of SSC perovskite and a well-connected network of SSC particles in the porous YSZ backbone, respectively. The electrochemical performance of the cell was investigated under both fuel cell and steam electrolysis modes using polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The cell experienced a large degradation rate at 700 °C with a constant voltage of 0.7 V for over 100 h under power generation operation. The subsequent post-cell SEM micrograph revealed that agglomeration of the infiltrated SSC particles was possibly the cause for the performance deterioration. Furthermore, the long-term stability of the cell was examined at 700 °C with a constant voltage of 1.3 V under steam electrolysis mode. SEM associated with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was employed to characterize the post-test cell after the long-term electrolysis operation and it indicated that besides the agglomeration of SSC particles, the delamination of the SSC-YSZ oxygen electrode from the YSZ electrolyte, as well as segregation of cobalt-enriched particles (particularly cobalt oxides) at the interface, was probably responsible for the cell degradation under the steam electrolysis mode.

Stabilizing electrochemical carbon capture membrane with Al2O3 thin-film overcoating synthesized by chemical vapor deposition.

Development of high-efficiency and cost-effective carbon capture technology is a central element of our effort to battle the global warming and climate change. Here we report that the unique high-flux and high-selectivity of electrochemical silver-carbonate dual-phase membranes can be retained for an extended period of operation by overcoating the surfaces of porous silver matrix with a uniform layer of Al2O3 thin-film derived from chemical vapor deposition.

Hierarchically oriented macroporous anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell with thin ceria electrolyte film.

Application of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with ceria based electrolyte has often been limited by high cost of electrolyte film fabrication and high electrode polarization. In this study, dense Gd0.1Ce0.9O2 (GDC) thin film electrolytes have been fabricated on hierarchically oriented macroporous NiO-GDC anodes by a combination of freeze-drying tape-casting of the NiO-GDC anode, drop-coating GDC slurry on NiO-GDC anode, and co-firing the electrolyte/anode bilayers. Using 3D X-ray microscopy and subsequent analysis, it has been determined that the NiO-GDC anode substrates have a porosity of around 42% and channel size from around 10 µm at the electrolyte side to around 20 µm at the other side of the NiO-GDC (away from the electrolyte), indicating a hierarchically oriented macroporous NiO-GDC microstructure. Such NiO-GDC microstructure shows a tortuosity factor of ∼1.3 along the thickness direction, expecting to facilitate gas diffusion in the anode during fuel cell operation. SOFCs with such Ni-GDC anode, GDC film (30 µm) electrolyte, and La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-GDC (LSCF-GDC) cathode show significantly enhanced cell power output of 1.021 W cm(-2) at 600 °C using H2 as fuel and ambient air as oxidant. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis indicates a decrease in both activation and concentration polarizations. This study has demonstrated that freeze-drying tape-casting is a very promising approach to fabricate hierarchically oriented porous substrate for SOFC and other applications.

[Characteristics and mechanism of sodium removal by the synergistic action of flue gas and waste solid].

The carbon dioxide (CO2) in flue gas was used to remove the sodium in the red mud (RM) , a kind of alkaline solid waste generated during alumina production. The reaction characteristics and mechanism of sodium removal by the synergistic action of CO2 and RM were studied with different medium pH, reaction time and temperature. It was demonstrated that the remove of sodium by RM was actually the result of the synergistic action of sodium-based solid waste in RM with the CO2-H2O and OH(-)-CO2 systems. The sodium removal efficiency was correlated with pH, reaction temperature and time. The characteristics of RM before and after sodium removal were analyzed using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results showed that the alkaline materials in the red mud reacted with CO2 and the sodium content in solid phases decreased significantly after reaction. The sodium removal efficiency could reach up to 70% with scientific procedure. The results of this research will offer an efficient way for low-cost sodium removal.

Sulfur-tolerant redox-reversible anode material for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells.

A novel composite anode material consisting of K(2) NiF(4) -type structured Pr(0.8) Sr(1.2) (Co,Fe)(0.8) Nb(0.2) O(4+δ) (K-PSCFN) matrix with homogenously dispersed nano-sized Co-Fe alloy (CFA) has been obtained by annealing perovskite Pr(0.4) Sr(0.6) Co(0.2) Fe(0.7) Nb(0.1) O(3-δ) (P-PSCFN) in H(2) at 900 °C. The K-PSCFN-CFA composite anode is redox-reversible and has demonstrated similar catalytic activity to Ni-based cermet anode, excellent sulfur tolerance, remarkable coking resistance and robust redox cyclability.

The influence of α-Al2O3 addition on microstructure, mechanical and formaldehyde adsorption properties of fly ash-based geopolymer products.

Fly ash-based geopolymer with α-Al(2)O(3) addition were synthesized and used to remove formaldehyde from indoor air. The microstructure, mechanical and formaldehyde adsorption properties of the geopolymer products obtained were investigated. The results showed that α-Al(2)O(3) addition with appropriate amount (such as 5 wt%) increased the geopolymerization extent, resulting in the increase of surface area and compressive strength. In addition, the improvement of structural ordering level for geopolymer sample with 5 wt% α-Al(2)O(3) addition was found through FTIR analysis. By contrast, excessive addition (such as 10 wt%) had the opposite effect. The test of formaldehyde adsorption capacity confirmed that fly ash-based geopolymer product exhibited much better property of adsorbing indoor formaldehyde physically and chemically than fly ash itself. The surface area was an important but not unique factor influencing the adsorption capacity of geopolymers.