(Invited) Crosscutting Materials Innovation for Transformational Chemical and Electrochemical Energy Conversion Technologies—Solid Oxide Cells

Abstract

The Solid Oxide Cell (SOC) primarily operated as Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) converts the chemical energy of a fuel such as hydrogen directly into electricity with very high efficiencies. Reverse operation of the exact same SOCs—as Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) converts electrical energy into chemical energy by using the electricity to split chemical molecules such as steam, carbon dioxide or mixtures of both into hydrogen, carbon monoxide or mixtures of both respectively.The SOC is basically a gas-tight and oxide-ion conducting solid electrolyte, sandwiched between porous oxide ion – and electron-conducting electrode materials—the oxygen electrode and the fuel electrode where the electrochemical conversions occur.Irrespective of operation mode, the choice of SOC materials and processing routes generally aim for maximum performance and lifetime at chosen conversion rate and efficiency at nominal operation. This is as much as the technology can intrinsically offer and by far not enough to guarantee either profitable production of electricity or chemicals hydrogen, carbon monoxide or both. Ultimately the materials and manufacturing costs of the cell, stack, module, and system play a key role in the involved invest. Generally, operation costs such as cost of natural gas or electricity as well as maintenance costs are much more significant in determining the profitability of the technology than the investment costs. These technology-independent factors can in turn orientate the technologist to optimize the cell for either for maximum efficiency or conversion rate capability.In this talk we will discuss specific SOC materials such as doped zirconia, doped ceria, manganates, cobaltites, and titanates. Intrinsic limitations and advantages with respect to performance, durability and costs; how they are withstanding the test of time and the ever decreasing operation temperature from micro/nano structuration, infiltration and exsolution of electrocatalysts through switching of cell supports. We will give a perspective on the dependency of cell material choices based on technology use cases and boundary conditions Figure 1