Degradation and recovery of solid oxide fuel cell performance by control of cathode surface acidity: Case study – Impact of Cr followed by Ca infiltration

Seo, Han Gil; Staerz, Anna; Dimitrakopoulos, Georgios; Kim, Dongha; Yildiz, Bilge; Tuller, Harry L.

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2022.232589

Title: Degradation and recovery of solid oxide fuel cell performance by control of cathode surface acidity: Case study – Impact of Cr followed by Ca infiltration

Journal Article · 06 January 2023 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2022.232589 · OSTI ID:1908560

Seo, Han Gil ^[1];

^[2];

^[3];

^[1]; Yildiz, Bilge ^[1];

^[1]

Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Exponent, Inc, Natick, MA (United States)

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) have attracted attention as clean and efficient energy conversion devices with low emissions. However, several degradation mechanisms limit the electrochemical performance of current SOFCs, with cathode degradation due to Cr-poisoning from metal interconnects particularly problematic. The acidity/basicity of binary additives has been found to be a sensitive descriptor of the oxygen exchange kinetics, indicating that acidic Cr-species/basic Ca-species can be expected to deactivate/activate the cathode surface, respectively. Inspired by recent advances, the feasibility of relative acidity as a tool for reviving degraded SOFCs is demonstrated by neutralizing Cr-poisoned SOFCs by subsequent serial infiltration of Ca-species. Furthermore, a model mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxide, Pr_0.1Ce_0.9O_2-δ (PCO), is selected as the cathode material. Area-specific resistances (ASR) of symmetric cells obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy show that Cr-infiltration results in a seven-fold increase in ASR, while subsequent infiltration of Ca-species leads to complete recovery. Performance degradation and recovery are attributed to depressed/enhanced redox properties at the PCO surface, as supported by XPS analysis. Experiments using anode-supported fuel cells show a reduction in peak power density by 26% upon Cr-infiltration, reversed following Ca-infiltration, after which no degradation is observed during subsequent operation for 100 h.

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Research Organization:: Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE); National Research Foundation of Korea Fellowship

Grant/Contract Number:: FE0031668

OSTI ID:: 1908560

Journal Information:: Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 558; ISSN 0378-7753

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
degradation
recovery
chromia poisoning
cathode
solid oxide fuel cell
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cathode Cr poisoning and recovery
oxygen reduction reaction
relative acidity
(Pr
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Title: Degradation and recovery of solid oxide fuel cell performance by control of cathode surface acidity: Case study – Impact of Cr followed by Ca infiltration

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