Microstructure-based modeling of inner oxygen pressure in solid oxide electrolysis cells: Analysis of electrode delamination and mitigation

Xue, Fei; Lei, Yinkai; Cheng, Tian-Le; Yang, Tao; Epting, William K.; Abernathy, Harry; Wen, You-Hai

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.236199

Microstructure-based modeling of inner oxygen pressure in solid oxide electrolysis cells: Analysis of electrode delamination and mitigation

Journal Article · Wed Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.236199· OSTI ID:2513475

^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Yang, Tao ^[2]; Epting, William K. ^[3]; Abernathy, Harry ^[4]; ^[3]

National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); NETL Support Contractor, Albany, OR (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); NETL Support Contractor, Morgantown, WV (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)

One major degradation mechanism during long-term operation of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) is delamination of oxygen electrodes (OEs). The driving force for the electrode delamination could be the generated high inner oxygen pressure near the electrode-electrolyte interface during operation. However, the effects of transport properties and electrode thickness on the inner oxygen partial pressure are not well understood. Here a microstructure-based electrochemical model, which includes the conduction of electrons and oxygen ions coupled with Butler-Volmer-type chemical reactions at triple-phase-boundaries (TPBs), is employed to investigate the oxygen pressure in lanthanum strontium manganate (LSM)-based SOECs. The model is applied to both two-dimensional (2D) prototype microstructures and three-dimensional (3D) realistic microstructures, and the oxygen pressure is analyzed as a function of transport properties and electrode thickness under both potentiostatic and galvanostatic operations. The simulation results suggest strategies to suppress electrode delamination. The simulation results are compared to an analytical solution, and the discrepancies are attributed to the Butler-Volmer-type kinetics included in the microstructure-based model.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM)

OSTI ID:: 2513475

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2500400

Journal Information:: Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Journal Issue: 2025 Vol. 631; ISSN 0378-7753

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (44)

Enhancement of Ionic Conductivity in Sm-Doped Ceria/Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Heteroepitaxial Structures Sanna, Simone; Esposito, Vincenzo; Tebano, Antonello Small, Vol. 6, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.200902348	journal	August 2010
Thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity of strontium-doped lanthanum manganite Ahlgren, E. Solid State Ionics, Vol. 86-88 https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2738(96)00283-4	journal	July 1996
Oxygen tracer diffusion coefficient of (La, Sr)MnO3 W $delta; Yasuda, I. Solid State Ionics, Vol. 86-88 https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2738(96)00287-1	journal	July 1996
Electrical conductivity of CeO2-doped YSZ Lee, C. Solid State Ionics, Vol. 135, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2738(00)00427-6	journal	November 2000
Electrical conductivity and microstructures of La0.65Sr0.3MnO3–8mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia Yang, Chih-Chung T.; Wei, Wen-Cheng J.; Roosen, Andreas Materials Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 81, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-0584(03)00158-5	journal	July 2003
Towards the 3D modeling of the effective conductivity of solid oxide fuel cell electrodes – II. Computational parameters Rhazaoui, K.; Cai, Q.; Adjiman, C. S. Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 116 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2014.05.045	journal	September 2014
Reasons for the high stability of nano-structured (La,Sr)MnO3 infiltrated Y2O3–ZrO2 composite oxygen electrodes of solid oxide electrolysis cells Chen, Kongfa; Ai, Na; Jiang, San Ping Electrochemistry Communications, Vol. 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2012.03.033	journal	June 2012
On the delamination of air electrodes of solid oxide electrolysis cells: A mini-review Pan, Zehua; Liu, Qinglin; Yan, Zilin Electrochemistry Communications, Vol. 137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2022.107267	journal	April 2022
Post-test evaluation of oxygen electrodes from solid oxide electrolysis stacks☆ Mawdsley, Jennifer R.; David Carter, J.; Jeremy Kropf, A. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 34, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.07.061	journal	May 2009
Fast performance degradation of SOFC caused by cathode delamination in long-term testing Park, Kwangjin; Yu, Sungoh; Bae, Joongmyeon International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.05.005	journal	August 2010
Mechanism of oxygen electrode delamination in solid oxide electrolyzer cells Virkar, Anil V. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.06.058	journal	September 2010
Failure mechanism of (La,Sr)MnO3 oxygen electrodes of solid oxide electrolysis cells Chen, Kongfa; Jiang, San Ping International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 36, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.05.103	journal	August 2011
A model for the delamination kinetics of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 oxygen electrodes of solid oxide electrolysis cells Zhang, Yanxiang; Chen, Kongfa; Xia, Changrong International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 37, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.07.062	journal	October 2012
LSM–YSZ interactions and anode delamination in solid oxide electrolysis cells Keane, Michael; Mahapatra, Manoj K.; Verma, Atul International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 37, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.08.104	journal	November 2012
Degradation mechanism of electrolyte and air electrode in solid oxide electrolysis cells operating at high polarization Kim, Jeonghee; Ji, Ho-Il; Dasari, Hari Prasad International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.10.113	journal	February 2013
Mitigation of the delamination of LSM anode in solid oxide electrolysis cells using manganese-modified YSZ Li, Na; Keane, Michael; Mahapatra, Manoj K. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.03.036	journal	May 2013
A review and comprehensive analysis of degradation mechanisms of solid oxide electrolysis cells Moçoteguy, Philippe; Brisse, Annabelle International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 38, Issue 36 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.09.045	journal	December 2013
Performance and structural stability of Gd0.2Ce0.8O1.9 infiltrated La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 nano-structured oxygen electrodes of solid oxide electrolysis cells Chen, Kongfa; Ai, Na; Jiang, San Ping International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 39, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.05.013	journal	July 2014
Comparison of performance and degradation of large-scale solid oxide electrolysis cells in stack with different composite air electrodes Zheng, Yifeng; Li, Qingshan; Chen, Tao International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 40, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.12.101	journal	February 2015
23,000 h steam electrolysis with an electrolyte supported solid oxide cell Schefold, Josef; Brisse, Annabelle; Poepke, Hendrik International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2017.01.072	journal	May 2017
An efficient approach for prediction of Warburg-type resistance under working currents Yang, Tao; Liu, Jian; Finklea, Harry International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 43, Issue 32 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.06.076	journal	August 2018
Effects of a YSZ porous layer between electrolyte and oxygen electrode in solid oxide electrolysis cells on the electrochemical performance and stability Su, Chaoxiang; Lü, Zhe; Wang, Chaoqi International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 44, Issue 29 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.04.092	journal	June 2019
Multiphysics modeling of SOFC performance degradation caused by interface delamination and active layer cracking Yang, Tao; Fan, Yueying; Liu, Jian International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 47, Issue 97 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.09.194	journal	December 2022
Phase-field modeling of crack growth and mitigation in solid oxide cells Xue, Fei; Lei, Yinkai; Cheng, Tian-Le International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 48, Issue 26, p. 9845-9860 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.12.042	journal	March 2023
Degradation of solid oxide electrolysis cells: Phenomena, mechanisms, and emerging mitigation strategies—A review Wang, Yi; Li, Wenyuan; Ma, Liang Journal of Materials Science & Technology, Vol. 55 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2019.07.026	journal	October 2020
Measurement of oxygen chemical potential in thin electrolyte film, anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells Lim, Hyung-Tae; Virkar, Anil V. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 180, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2008.01.068	journal	May 2008
Low-temperature sintering of lanthanum strontium manganite-based contact pastes for SOFCs McCarthy, B. P.; Pederson, L. R.; Chou, Y. S. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 180, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2008.01.097	journal	May 2008
Phase field modeling of microstructure evolution and concomitant effective conductivity change in solid oxide fuel cell electrodes Lei, Yinkai; Cheng, Tian-Le; Wen, You-Hai Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 345 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.02.007	journal	March 2017
A porous yttria-stabilized zirconia layer to eliminate the delamination of air electrode in solid oxide electrolysis cells Khan, Muhammad Shirjeel; Xu, Xiaoyong; Zhao, Jie Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 359 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.05.049	journal	August 2017
Electrochemical performance and stability of SrTi0.3Fe0.6Co0.1O3-δ infiltrated La0.8Sr0.2MnO3Zr0.92Y0.16O2-δ oxygen electrodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide electrochemical cells Zhang, Shan-Lin; Wang, Hongqian; Lu, Matthew Y. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 426 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.04.044	journal	June 2019
Quantifying morphological variability and operating evolution in SOFC anode microstructures Mahbub, Rubayyat; Hsu, Tim; Epting, William K. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 498 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2021.229846	journal	June 2021
Oxidation of nickel in solid oxide cells during electrochemical operation: Experimental evidence, theoretical analysis, and an alternative hypothesis on the nickel migration Cheng, Tian-Le; Lei, Yinkai; Chen, Yun Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 569 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2023.232991 232991	journal	June 2023
Delamination-resistant bi-layer electrolyte for anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells Park, Mi Young; Jung, Yeon-Gil; Lim, Hyung-Tae Solid State Ionics, Vol. 262 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssi.2014.02.013	journal	September 2014
Theory of Chemical Kinetics and Charge Transfer based on Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics Bazant, Martin Z. Accounts of Chemical Research, Vol. 46, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1021/ar300145c	journal	June 2012
Conditions for stable operation of solid oxide electrolysis cells: oxygen electrode effects Park, Beom-Kyeong; Zhang, Qian; Voorhees, Peter W. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 12, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EE01664C	journal	January 2019
Electrical Conductivity of Silver Sulfide Hebb, Malcolm H. The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 20, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1700165	journal	January 1952
Internal Precipitation of Molecular Oxygen and Electromechanical Failure of Zirconia Solid Electrolytes Virkar, Anil V.; Nachlas, Jesse; Joshi, Ashok V. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 73, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb06465.x	journal	November 1990
Electronic Transport in 8 Mole Percent Y[sub 2]O[sub 3]-ZrO[sub 2] Park, Jong-Hee Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 136, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2096302	journal	January 1989
Electrochemical Degradation of Fuel Cells: Effect of Electrolyte Composition Lim, Hyung-Tae; Virkar, Anil V. ECS Transactions, Vol. 25, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3205554	journal	September 2009
A Transient Three-Dimensional Mathematical Model for the Local Impedance and Polarization Performance of Planar SOFCs Sezer, Hayri; Mason, Jerry H.; Celik, Ismail Bektas ECS Transactions, Vol. 103, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1149/10301.0959ecst	journal	July 2021
Modeling the Distribution of Oxygen Partial Pressure in the Electrolyte of Solid Oxide Cells and Its Implication on Microstructure Evolution in the Hydrogen Electrode Lei, Yinkai; Cheng, Tianle; Yang, Tao ECS Transactions, Vol. 111, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1149/11106.0965ecst	journal	May 2023
Modeling of Oxygen Chemical Potential Distribution in Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cells Zhang, Lei; Zhu, Liangzhu; Virkar, Anil V. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0121916jes	journal	January 2019
Revisiting the Temperature Dependent Ionic Conductivity of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) Ahamer, C.; Opitz, A. K.; Rupp, G. M. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 164, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0641707jes	journal	January 2017
Interplay of Grain Size Dependent Electronic and Ionic Conductivity in Electrochemical Polarization Studies on Sr-Doped LaMnO₃(LSM) Thin Film Cathodes Huber, Tobias M.; Navickas, Edvinas; Sasaki, Kazunari Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 165, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.1081809jes	journal	January 2018

Similar Records

Microstructure-Based Modeling of Inner Oxygen Pressure in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Conference · Tue Oct 08 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · OSTI ID:2468782

Atomic-Scale Mechanisms of Oxygen Electrode Delamination in Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cells

Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2011 · International Journal of Hydrogen Energy · OSTI ID:1035582

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
electrode delamination
inner oxygen pressure
microstructure-based modeling
solid oxide electrolysis cell

Microstructure-based modeling of inner oxygen pressure in solid oxide electrolysis cells: Analysis of electrode delamination and mitigation

Citation Formats

References (44)

Similar Records

Related Subjects