Redesigning protonic ceramic electrochemical cells to lower the operating temperature
Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) can operate at intermediate temperatures (450° to 600°C) for power generation and hydrogen production. However, the operating temperature is still too high to revolutionize ceramic electrochemical cell technology. Lowering the operating temperature to <450°C will enable a wider material choice and reduce system costs. We present approaches to redesigning PCECs via readily fabricated single-grain-thick, chemically homogeneous, and robust electrolytes and a nano-micro positive electrode. At 450°C, the PCECs achieve a peak power density of 1.6 watt per square centimeter on H<sub>2</sub> fuel, 0.5 watt per square centimeter on NH<sub>3</sub> fuel, and 0.3 watt per square centimeter on CH<sub>4</sub> fuel in fuel cell mode. In steam electrolysis mode, a current density of >0.6 ampere per square centimeter with a Faradaic efficiency of >90% is achievable at 1.4 volt and 400°C. In addition, exceptional durability (>2000 hours) has been demonstrated, with a degradation rate of <0.01 millivolt per 100 hours in fuel cell mode at 400°C.
Authors
- Cenk Gümeci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3584-0961)
- Iman Ghamarian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6464-4399)
- Takanori Oku
- David R. Diercks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5138-0168)
- Chuancheng Duan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8328-6686)
- Yoshihisa Furuya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5977-8680)
- Pejman Kazempoor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5240-5515)
- Masahiro Usuda
- Praveen Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6533-0260)
- Stephen J. Skinner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5446-2647)
- Arim Seong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6591-3925)
- Nilesh Dale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8872-5801)
- Liyang Fang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9328-0851)
- Mohammed Hussain Abdul Jabbar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3922-7988)
- Di Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2725-9584)
- Fan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6063-3358)
- Lin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7540-2157)
- Zixian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7960-2017)
Institutions
- University of Kansas (US)
- Colorado School of Mines (US)
- Kansas State University (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Nissan (United States) (US)
- Nissan (Japan) (JP)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Oklahoma (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-01-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq2507
- Citations
- 31
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 16.05