Solid oxide electrolyser cell

A solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) is a solid oxide fuel cell that runs in
regenerative mode to achieve the electrolysis of water (and/or carbon
dioxide)[1] by using a solid oxide, or ceramic, electrolyte to produce hydrogen
gas[2] (and/or carbon monoxide) and oxygen. The production of pure hydrogen
is compelling because it is a clean fuel that can be stored easily, thus making it
a potential alternative to batteries, which have a low storage capacity and
create high amounts of waste materials.[3] Electrolysis is currently the most
promising method of hydrogen production from water due to high ef
ficiency of
conversion and relatively low required energy input when compared to
thermochemical and photocatalytic methods.[4]

Contents
Principle SOEC 60 cell stack.

Operation
Materials
Electrolyte
Fuel Electrode (Cathode)
Oxygen Electrode (Anode)
Considerations
Applications
See also
References
External links

Principle
Solid oxide electrolyzer cells operate at temperatures which allow high-temperature electrolysis[5] to occur, typically between 500
and 850 °C. These operating temperatures are similar to those conditions for an SOFC. The net cell reaction yields hydrogen and
oxygen gases. The reactions for one mole of water are shown below, with oxidation of water occurring at the anode and reduction of
water occurring at thecathode.

Anode: O2− ---> 1/2O2 + 2e−

Cathode: H2O + 2e− ---> H2 + O2−

Net Reaction: H2O ---> H2 + 1/2O2

Electrolysis of water at 298 K (25 °C) requires 285.83 kJ of energy in order to occur,[6] and the reaction is increasingly endothermic
with increasing temperature. However, the energy demand may be reduced due to the Joule heating of an electrolysis cell, which may
be utilized in the water splitting process at high temperatures. Research is ongoing to add heat from external heat sources such as
concentrating solar thermal collectorsand geothermal sources.[7]
Operation
The general function of the electrolyse cell is to split water in the form of steam into pure H2 and O2. Steam is fed into the porous
cathode. When a voltage is applied, the steam moves to the cathode-electrolyte interface and is reduced to form pure H2 and oxygen
ions. The hydrogen gas then diffuses back up through the cathode and is collected at its surface as hydrogen fuel, while the oxygen
ions are conducted through the dense electrolyte. The electrolyte must be dense enough that the steam and hydrogen gas cannot
diffuse through and lead to the recombination of the H2 and O2−. At the electrolyte-anode interface, the oxygen ions are oxidized to
[8]
form pure oxygen gas, which is collected at the surface of the anode.

Materials
Solid oxide electrolyzer cells follow the same construction of a solid-oxide fuel cell, consisting of a fuel electrode (cathode), an
oxygen electrode (anode) and a solid-oxide electrolyte.

Electrolyte
The most common electrolyte, again similar to solid-oxide fuel cells, is a dense ionic conductor consisting of ZrO2 doped with
8 mol % Y2O3 (also knows as YSZ). Zirconia dioxide is used because of its high strength, high melting temperature (approximately
2700 °C) and excellent corrosion resistance. Y2O3 is added to mitigate the phase transition from the tetragonal to the monoclinic
phase on rapid cooling, which can lead to cracks and decrease the conductive properties of the electrolyte by causing scattering.[9]
Some other common choices for SOEC are Scandia stabilized zirconia (ScSZ), ceria based electrolytes or lanthanum gallate
materials. Despite the material similarity to solid oxide fuel cells, the operating conditions are different, leading to issues such as high
steam concentrations at the fuel electrode and high oxygen partial pressures at the electrolyte/oxygen electrode interface.[10] A recent
study found that periodic cycling a cell between electrolyzer and fuel cell modes reduced the oxygen partial pressure build up and
[11]
drastically increased the lifetime of the electrolyzer cell.

Fuel Electrode (Cathode)

The most common fuel electrode material is a Ni doped YSZ, however, under high steam partial pressures and low hydrogen partial
pressures at the Ni-YSZ interface caused oxidation of the nickel and leads to irreversible degradation.[12] Perovskite-type lanthanum
strontium manganese (LSM) is also commonly used as a cathode material. Recent studies have found that doping LSM with
scandium to form LSMS promotes mobility of oxide ions in the cathode, increasing reduction kinetics at the interface with the
electrolyte and thus leading to higher performance at low temperatures than traditional LSM cells. However, further development of
the sintering process parameters is required to prevent precipitation of scandium oxide into the LSM lattice. These precipitate
particles are problematic because they can impede electron and ion conduction. In particular, the processing temperature and
concentration of scandium in the LSM latice are being researched to optimize the properties of the LSMS cathode.[13] New materials
are being researched such as lanthanum strontium manganese chromate (LSCM), which has proven to be more stable under
electrolysis conditions.[14] LSCM has high redox stability, which is crucial especially at the interface with the electrolyte. Scandium-
doped LCSM (LSCMS) is also being researched as a cathode material due to its high ionic conductivity. However, the rare-earth
element introduces a significant materials cost and was found to cause a slight decrease in overall mixed conductivity. Nonetheless,
LCSMS materials have demonstrated high efficiency at temperatures as low as 700 °C.[15]

Oxygen Electrode (Anode)

Lanthanum strontium manganate (LSM) is the most common oxygen electrode material. LSM offers high performance under
electrolysis conditions due to generation of oxygen vacancies under anodic polarization that aid oxygen diffusion.[16] In addition,
impregnating LSM electrode with GDC nanoparticles was found to increase cell lifetime by preventing delamination at the
electrode/electrolyte interface.[17] The exact mechanism by how this happen needs to be explore further
. In a 2010 study, it was found
that neodymium nickelate as an anode material provided 1.7 times the current density of typical LSM anodes when integrated into a
commercial SOEC and operated at 700 °C, and approximately 4 times the current density when operated at 800 °C. The increased
performance is postulated to be due to higher "overstoichimoetry" of oxygen in the neodymium nickelate, making it a successful
conductor of both ions and electrons.[18]

Considerations
Advantages of solid oxide-based regenerative fuel cells include high efficiencies, as they are not limited by Carnot efficiency.[19]
Additional advantages include long-term stability, fuel flexibility, low emissions, and low operating costs. However, the greatest
disadvantage is the high operating temperature, which results in long start-up times and break-in times. The high operating
temperature also leads to mechanical compatibility issues such as thermal expansion mismatch and chemical stability issues such as
diffusion between layers of material in the cell[20]

In principle, the process of any fuel cell could be reversed, due to the inherent reversibility of chemical reactions.[21] However, a
given fuel cell is usually optimized for operating in one mode and may not be built in such a way that it can be operated in reverse.
Fuel cells operated backwards may not make very efficient systems unless they are constructed to do so such as in the case of solid
oxide electrolyzer cells, high pressure electrolyzers, unitized regenerative fuel cells and regenerative fuel cells. However, current
research is being conducted to investigate systems in which a solid oxide cell may be run in either directionficiently.
ef [22]

Applications
SOECs have possible application in fuel production, carbon dioxide recycling, and chemicals synthesis. In addition to the production
of hydrogen and oxygen, an SOEC could be used to create syngas by electrolyzing water vapor and carbon dioxide.[23] This
conversion could be useful for energy generation and energy storage applications.

MIT has proposed the method be tested on the Mars 2020 mission as a means to produce oxygen for both human sustenance and
liquid oxygen rocket propellant.[24]

See also
Glossary of fuel cell terms
Hydrogen technologies

References
1. Zheng, Yun; Wang, Jianchen; Yu, Bo; Zhang, Wenqiang; Chen, Jing; Qiao, Jinli; Zhang, Jiujun (2017). "A review of
high temperature co-electrolysis of H O and CO to produce sustainable fuels using solid oxide electrolysis cells
(SOECs): advanced materials and technology".Chem. Soc. Rev. 46 (5): 1427–1463. doi:10.1039/C6CS00403B(htt
ps://doi.org/10.1039%2FC6CS00403B).
2. Durability of solid oxide electrolysis cells for hydrogen production(http://www.risoe.dk/rispubl/reports/ris-r-1608_327-
338.pdf)
3. Ni M, Leung MKH, Leung DYC, Sumathy K. A review and recent developments in photocatalytic water-splitting using
TiO2 for hydrogen production. Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev 2007;11(3):401–25.
4. Ni, M., Leung, M. K. H., & Leung, D. Y. C. (2008). Technological development of hydrogen production by solid oxide
electrolyzer cell (SOEC). International Journal of Hydrogen Energy , 33, 2337–2354.
doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.02.048
5. A reversible planar solid oxide fuel-assisted electrolysis cell(http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/progress06/ii_a_2
_tao.pdf)
6. Electrolysis of Water (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/electrol.html)
7. Can high temperature steam electrolysis function with geothermal heat?
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl
e/pii/S0360319906005829)
 8. Ni, M., Leung, M. K. H., & Leung, D. Y. C. (2008). Technological development of hydrogen production by solid oxide
electrolyzer cell (SOEC). International Journal of Hydrogen Energy , 33, 2337–2354.
doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.02.048
9. Bocanegra-Bernal, M. H., & De la T
orre, S. D. (2002). Phase transitions in zirconium dioxide and related materials
for high performance engineering ceramics. Journal of Materials Science, 37, 4947–4971
10. Laguna-Bercero, M. A. Recent advances in high temperature electrolysis using solid oxide fuel cells: A review
.
Journal of Power Sources 2012, 203, 4–16 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour
.2011.12.019.
11. Graves, C.; Ebbesen, S. D.; Jensen, S. H.; Simonsen, S. B.; Mogensen, M. B. Eliminating degradation in solid oxide
electrochemical cells by reversible operation. Nat Mater 2014, advance online publication.
12. Laguna-Bercero, M. A. Recent advances in high temperature electrolysis using solid oxide fuel cells: A review
.
Journal of Power Sources 2012, 203, 4–16 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour
.2011.12.019.
13. Yue, X., Yan, A., Zhang, M., Liu, L., Dong, Y
., & Cheng, M. (2008). Investigation on scandium-doped manganate
La0.8Sr0.2Mn1-xScxO3-cathode for Intermediate eTmperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. Journal of Power Sources,
185, 691–697. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2008.08.038
14. X. Yang, J.T.S. Irvine, J. Mater. Chem. 18 (2008) 2349–2354.
15. Chen, S., Xie, K., Dong, D., Li, H., Qin, Q., Zhang, .Y, & Wu, Y. (2015). A composite cathode based on scandium-
doped chromate for direct high-temperature steam electrolysis in a symmetric solid oxide electrolyzer
. Journal of
Power Sources, 274, 718–729. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour .2014.10.103
16. W. Wan, S.P. Jiang, Solid State Ionics 177 (2006) 1361–1369.
17. K. Chen, N. Ai, S.P. Jiang, J. Electrochem. Soc. 157 (2010) P89–P94.
18. Chauveau, F., Mougin, J., Bassat, J. M., Mauvy, F., & Grenier, J. C. (2010). A new anode material for solid oxide
electrolyser: The neodymium nickelate. Journal of Power Sources, 195, 744–749.
doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2009.08.003
19. Intermediate temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell using LaGaO3 based perovskite electrolyte
(http://pubs.rsc.org/
en/content/articlepdf/2010/EE/B915927D)
20. Solid oxide fuel cells (http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/fuecel/overview.php)
21. Simple and Attractive Demonstration of the Reversibility of Chemical Reactions
(http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/
ed073p837.1)
22. A Proposed Method for High Efficiency Electrical Energy Storage Using Solid Oxide Cells(http://www.ecsdl.org/vsea
rch/servlet/VerityServlet?KEY=ECSTF8&smode=strresults&sort=rel&maxdisp=25&threshold=0&pjournals=ECSTF8&
possible1zone=article&possible4=barnett&possible4zone=author&bool4=and&OUTLOG=NO&viewabs=ECSTF8&ke
y=DISPLAY&docID=3&page=1&chapter=0)
23. Ceramatec Solid Oxide Co-Electrolysis Cell(http://www.ceramatec.com/technology/ceramic-solid-state-ionic-technol
ogies/syngas-production/solid-oxide-electrolysis-cell.php)
24. MOXIE - An MIT oxygen-creating instrument has been selected to fly on the upcoming Mars 2020 mission
(http://ne
wsoffice.mit.edu/2014/going-red-planet)

External links
2007 DOE Hydrogen Program Review
RELHY

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