Manufacturing of 5x5 cm2 Protonic Ceramic Electrochemical Cells at Idaho National Laboratory

Abstract

Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) hold the promise for hydrogen production as well as flexible chemical manufacturing by in-situ hydrogen/proton use at intermediate temperatures (400-600oC). As the technology is emerging and fast growing, the production and manufacturing of 5x5 cm2 PCECs represent a key step to link the fundamental study on the academic-based button cells (e.g., 10 mm to 1 inch) to the higher technology readiness level (TRL) development with the industry standard unit (> 10x10 cm2) for the stack assembly. At Idaho National Laboratory, we developed the advanced manufacturing technologies and applied our knowledge and experience in materials science and engineering for such a transition. Significant advancement is achieved by integrating the materials, structure and interface engineering R&D into cell fabrication and manufacturing with the guidance of the quality assurance and quality control (QA&QC) system .to achieve reliable, repeatable, and durable performance for PCECs.