Solid oxide fuel and Electrolysis cells (SOFC-SOEC)

Principal investigator: Alessandra Sanson

Involved personnel: Elisa Mercadelli, Angela Gondolini

SOFC and SOEC are produced at ISTEC starting from powders obtained by conventional solid state synthesis or chemical routes (precipitation, sol-gel, etc.). The powders are synthesized with characteristics suitable for the subsequent shaping processes. The cell fabrication consists in depositing the cell elements onto a supporting-element produced by tape casting. Three generation of cells (electrolyte, electrode and metal supported) were produced using the following materials:

• Oxygen electrodes: La_0.6Sr_0.4Fe_0.8Co_0.2O₃ (LSCF), La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ (LSM) LSCF-GDC, LSM-YSZ, LSM-GDC;
• Fuel electrodes: NiO/(Zr,Y)O₂, NiO/Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O₂, NiO/ Ba(Ce,Y,Zr)O₃, (Sr,La,Ti)O₃, (La,Sr,Cr,Mn)O₃;
• Electrolytes:(Zr,Y)O₂, (Zr,Sc)O₂, Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O₂, Ba(Ce,Y)O₃, (La,Sr,Ga,Mg)O₃;
• Metal substrates: Ni, Stainless steel, NiCrAl foam.

Products with dimensions up to 10 x10 cm² were obtained after the thermal treatment needed to reach suitable densification or porosity level for the electrolyte or the electrodes respectively.

Main partners

• German Aerospace Center (DLR) 
• Politecnico di Milano
• Politecnico di Torino
• Università Tor Vergata 

Projects

• EVOLVE
• RdS

Publications

• Gondolini, E. Mercadelli, G. Constantin, L. Dessemond, V. Yurkiv, R. Costa, A. Sanson “On the manufacturing of low temperature activated Sr_0.9La_0.1TiO_3-δ-Ce_1-xGd_xO_2-δ anodes for solid oxide fuel cell” Journal of the European Ceramic Society, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2017.07.035.
• Gondolini,  E.  Mercadelli,  A.  Sanson  “Single  Step  Process  for  Cathode  Supported  half-cell”, 10th European SOFC Forum, Lucerna, 26-29 June 2012.
• I. Luisetto, S. Licoccia, A. D’Epifanio, A. Sanson d, E. Mercadelli, E. Di Bartolomeo “Electrochemical performance of spin coated dense BaZr0.80Y0.16Zn0.04O3-d membranes” Journal of Power Sources, 220 (2012) 280-285.