Degradation Mechanisms of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells under Various Thermal Cycling Conditions.

A critical issue to tackle before successful commercialization of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be achieved is the long-term thermal stability required for SOFCs to operate reliably without significant performance degradation despite enduring thermal cycling. In this work, the impact of thermal cycling on the durability of NiO-yttria-stabilized zirconia-based anode-supported cells is studied using three different heating/cooling rates (1, 2, and 5 °C min) as the temperature fluctuated between 400 and 700 °C. Our experiments simulate time periods when power from SOFCs is not required (e.

Utilizing the Intrinsic Thermal Instability of Swedenborgite Structured YBaCoO as an Opportunity for Material Engineering in Lithium-Ion Batteries by Er and Ga Co-Doping Processes.

We firstly introduce Er and Ga co-doped swedenborgite-structured YBaCoO (YBC) as a cathode-active material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), aiming at converting the phase instability of YBC at high temperatures into a strategic way of enhancing the structural stability of layered cathode-active materials. Our recent publication reported that YErBaCoGaO (YEBCG) showed excellent phase stability compared to YBC in a fuel cell operating condition. By contrast, the feasibility of the LiCoO (LCO) phase, which is derived from swedenborgite-structured YBC-based materials, as a LIB cathode-active material is investigated and the effects of co-doping with the Er and Ga ions on the structural and electrochemical properties of Li-intercalated YBC are systemically studied.

Operation Protocols To Improve Durability of Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells.

To develop reliable and durable protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs), the impacts of the operation protocols of PCFCs on the cell durability are investigated through analyses of the main degradation mechanisms. We herein propose three appropriately designed control protocols, including cathode air depletion, shunt current, and fuel cell/electrolysis cycling, to fully circumvent the operating-induced degradation of PCFCs. For this purpose, anode-supported cells, comprised of a NiO-BaCeZrYYbO anode, BaCeZrYYbO electrolyte, and NdBaSrCoFeO-NdCeO composite cathode, are prepared, and their long-term performances are evaluated under a galvanostatic condition of 0.