Enhancing durability of solid oxide cells for hydrogen production from seawater by designing nano-structured Sm0.5Sr0.5Co3-d infiltrated air electrodes

In this work, the nano-structured Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-$ (SSC) was infiltrated into La0.6Sr0.4-Co0.2Fe0.8O3-$-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-$ (LSCF-GDC) electrode of a large-area flat-tube solid oxide cell for hydrogen production. The electrolysis current density under 76% H2O-24% H2 increased only approximately 3% at about the thermal neutral voltage (1.29 V) and 750 & DEG;C, but the electrolysis durability with 76% H2O-24% H2 and 500 mA cm-2 improved significantly by more than 90%, with the degradation rate being approximately 1/10th of that of the non infiltrated cell. This work indicates that SSC infiltration of the air electrode could suppress Sr segregation in LSCF, thus greatly enhancing the cell durability. The study provides a reference for large-scale hydrogen production of high durability SOECs by designing nanostructured electrodes via infiltration.& COPY; 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, nano-structured Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-(SSC) was infiltrated into the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-(LSCF)-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-(GDC) electrode of a large-area flat-tube solid oxide cell for hydrogen production. The electrolysis current density only increased by approximately 3% at the thermal neutral voltage (1.29 V) and 750°C, but the electrolysis durability significantly improved by more than 90% with SSC infiltration. This study demonstrates that SSC infiltration can suppress Sr segregation and greatly enhance the cell durability, providing a reference for large-scale hydrogen production.