Hydration-induced stiffness enabling robust thermal cycling of high temperature fuel cells cathode.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40175368.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-57611-1 and PMC identifier 11965308.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Thermo-mechanics of cathode is closely related to the durability of high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), with two main mechanical failures during thermal cycling: interface delamination and bulk cracking of cathode. Bulk cracking, caused by insufficient fracture strength/stiffness is a big concern but often overlooked. Here, we introduce chemical hydration to offset the thermal expansion, enhancing the cathodic mechanical stiffness and fracture strength, thus promoting the thermo-mechanical durability of cathode in proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs). Such chemical-induced expansion offset is achieved by strengthening intergranular bonding inside the bulk cathode after the hydration, preventing granule detachment during thermal shrinkage. As a demonstration, the stiffness-enhanced air electrode (BaCo<sub>0.7</sub>Ce<sub>0.15</sub>Y<sub>0.15</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, noted as s-BCC-Y) exhibits 86% enhancement of fracture strength, thus thermal cycling stability with almost no degradation after 35 harsh thermal cycles between 600 and 300 °C, surpassing pristine BaCo<sub>0.7</sub>Ce<sub>0.3</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and many cobalt-free PCFC cathodes. Benefitted from the improved stiffness of cathode, full cell with the s-BCC-Y electrode demonstrates enhanced power output. This work highlights the importance of bulk cathode thermo-mechanics in developing robust SOFCs for high temperature energy applications.