Characterization and Testing of Exsolution-Based Solid Oxide Cells for Reversible Operations in CO2 Electrolysis

Abstract

Reversible solid oxide cells (rSOCs) are a promising electrochemical technology able to work both as energy storage devices in solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) mode, and as power generators in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode. rSOCs implemented for CO2 electroreduction into valuable CO-rich steams through electrolysis would provide opportunities for CO2 utilization, and hence become useful tools for the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. High-temperature co-electrolysis of CO2/H2O mixtures has recently become of interest since high conversion and energy efficiency are thermodynamically favored in addition to the reduction in cell area-specific resistance when compared to pure CO2 electrolysis [1]. However, reversible operation with CO2-containing feeds requires developing flexible, high-performing, and long-lasting materials for the rSOCsManaging issues such as coking and low redox tolerance in the state-of-the-art (SoA) Ni-Yttria-stabilized-zirconia (Ni-YSZ) cermet fuel electrode in the rSOCs is crucial. Ni-YSZ cermet exhibits high electronic conductivity and electrochemical activity in hydrogen. Nonetheless, Ni is prone to oxidation due to operation under high steam concentrations, and rapid variations in the fuel supply. Additionally, Ni is well-known for its coke-formation tendency which becomes detrimental in CO2-rich mixtures for electrolysis [2]. Thus, ceramics with mixed ionic and electronic conductivity (MIEC) have emerged as alternative fuel electrodes thanks to the larger electrochemically active area compared to standard cermets. Among the MIEC electrodes, the SrTi0.3Fe0.7O3 (STF) perovskite has proven to give low polarization resistances especially when modification techniques such as exsolution of metal nanoparticles are employed [3]. This work focuses on the investigation of the electrocatalytic properties of exsolution-based STF electrodes operating with CO/CO2 and H2O/CO2 mixtures. The mixtures used were 50% CO2/50% CO, 25% H2O/25% CO2/25%H2/25%CO, and 45% H2O/45% CO2/10% H2. A comparison between the performance and microstructure of the studied electrode formulation is provided.Electrolyte-supported cells were manufactured via screen-printing of the electrode inks on scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) electrolytes. STF perovskite-based electrodes were used, namely: SrTi0.3Fe0.7O3 (STF), Sr0.95(Ti0.3Fe0.63Ni0.07)O3 (STF-Ni), and Sr0.95(Ti0.3Fe0.63Ru0.07)O3 (STF-Ru). The latter two formulations allowed the enhancement of the perovskite structure via exsolution of catalytic nanoparticles (Ni, Co alloyed with Fe) on the oxide surface during cell operation. Each cell configuration included a gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) buffer layer coupled with an LSCF-GDC (La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3/Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95) oxygen electrode. Baseline performances of cell mounting the Ni-YSZ cermet electrode were also evaluated for comparison with the perovskite alternatives, both in the short and long term. Electrochemical characterization was done via impedance spectroscopy, polarization experiments, and durability tests in potentiostatic mode. Chemical characterization was performed via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction analyses.Compared to Ni-YSZ, significant improvement in terms of reversibility and maximum current densities of the current-voltage (I/V) curves in both SOFC and SOEC modes is found on the STF-based cells at 750°C under CO/CO2 mixtures (Figure 1B). The initial difference in the performance of the STF cells with respect to the Ni-YSZ cermet in humidified H2 (SOFC mode, Figure 1A) was overcome by using the exsolved electrode formulations. Aging experiments up to 100 h performed in alternating operation modes from SOFC (6 h) to SOEC (6 h) indicated an initial performance degradation within the first 24 h for both the cermet and perovskite-based fuel electrodes which later stabilized in time. Compared to the undoped STF formulation, improvement in performance stability was observed for the exsolved STF-Ni and STF-Ru fuel electrodes while working under the target CO/CO2 mixture. This was attributed to the combination of the STF structure benefits (low polarization resistance towards CO/CO2 and H2O/CO2 mixtures) with the boost that metallic nanoparticles provide to the electrode’s heterogeneous catalytic reactivity and overall stability over time.