Low Temperature Co-fired Solid Oxide Cells

A solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is a device that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Water is decomposed into hydrogen gas and oxygen anions at the hydrogen electrode. The oxygen anions pass through the electrolyte to the air electrode, where they lose their electrons and convert to oxygen gas. The electrons travel through an external circuit to the hydrogen electrode and participate in the water decomposition reaction. The SOEC components are composed of various metallic and ceramic phases. The devices are fabricated at high temperatures (>1250°C) through a process known as sintering, where precursor powder particles are fused together by solid state diffusion. The high processing temperature presents significant materials engineering challenges, which can adversely affect performance and add to device cost. As such, the main goal of this project is to reduce the processing temperature. The hydrogen electrode will be prioritized. The main precursors for the hydrogen electrode are powders of NiO and ZrO2 doped with Y2O3. Particle type, size, and size ratio, as well as sintering temperature will be varied to determine optimal processing conditions for SOEC fabrication. Candidate SOECs will be tested through electrochemical and microstructural characterization methods to assess SOEC performance and to correlate performance…

Faculty Supervisor:

Douglas Ivey

Student:

Partner:

FuelCell Energy

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Alberta

Program: