Quantifying individual electrode polarization and unraveling the interactive phenomenon in solid oxide fuel cells
Yudong Wang,
Nengneng Xu,
Xiao-Dong Zhou
Affiliations
Yudong Wang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Center for Clean Energy Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Corresponding authors at: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
Nengneng Xu
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Center for Clean Energy Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Xiao-Dong Zhou
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Center for Clean Energy Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Corresponding authors at: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
In electrochemically active systems, such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and batteries, researchers often modify the material chemistry or operating variables at one of the electrodes (e.g., the cathode) to investigate its properties. This approach assumes that changes in measured polarization and cell performance result solely from the modifications made to the selected electrode, while the conditions at the other electrode (e.g., the anode) remain constant. However, the potential interactions between the polarizations of these two electrodes have remained unclear. In our study, we utilize a voltage probe capable of precisely determining electrode polarization. Our findings reveal three key insights: 1. The quantification of electrode polarization becomes feasible through the implementation of a voltage probe. 2. The fuel electrode plays a pivotal role in the performance of state-of-the-art solid oxide cells, with its influence being comparable to that of the oxygen electrode. 3. A reciprocal interaction exists between the two electrodes within a solid oxide cell. Consequently, when there are changes in the chemistry or operational conditions at one electrode, the polarization of the other electrode changes simultaneously.
