Abstract
Reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs) are an all-solid-state electrochemical device, which can convert H2 into electricity in the fuel cell (SOFC) mode and electrolyze H2O into fuel gas in the electrolytic cell (SOEC) mode, exhibiting good application prospect in the development of carbon neutrality. However, the degradation of the air electrode caused by Cr-containing steel interconnects is a major obstacle that limits the broader application of RSOCs. Herein, the Cr poisoning effect on La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-σ (LSCF)-based oxygen electrodes under the electrolysis mode was systematically investigated. The phase transition of the sediment during the chromium poisoning process was captured and monitored. When tested under the presence of Fe-Cr interconnects at 800 °C for 40 h, SrCrO4 on the surface of LSCF was clearly identified through XRD and Raman analysis as the main deposition, and with the prolonged operating time, LaCrO3 slowly emerged. Due to the much higher electrical conductivity of LaCrO3 compared to SrCrO4, the negative effect induced by Cr poisoning was offset along with test progressing due to the deposition transition phenomenon. Inspired by the interesting discoveries, transition from SrCrO4 to LaCrO3 can be artificially facilitated by switching the operating mode to the SOEC mode, which can partially recover the dramatic degradation caused by the Cr poisoning effect under the SOFC mode. The feasibility of the in situ electrochemical recovery method was also verified by the experimental results. The peak power density of the cells decreased from 0.829 to 0.505 W/cm2 when operating under the SOFC mode with an Fe-Cr metal connector, and after in situ electrochemical recovery in the SOEC mode, the peak power density recovered to 0.630 W/cm2. This study provides a new strategy for achieving high performance and stability of RSOCs.
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