IREC, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research , Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, 2 a pl, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino , 10129 Torino, Italy
Marc Nuñez
IREC, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research , Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, 2 a pl, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Spain
IREC, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research , Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, 2 a pl, 08930 Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Spain; ICREA , Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
Solid oxide cells (SOC) are an efficient and cost-effective energy conversion technology able to operate reversibly in fuel cell and electrolysis mode. Electrolyte-supported SOC have been recently fabricated employing 3D printing to generate unique geometries with never-explored capabilities. However, the use of the state-of-the-art electrolyte based on yttria-stabilized zirconia limits the current performance of such printed devices due to a limited oxide-ion conductivity. In the last years, alternative electrolytes such as scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) became more popular to increase the performance of electrolyte-supported cells. In this work, stereolithography 3D printing of Ytterbium-doped ScSZ was developed to fabricate SOC with planar and corrugated architectures. Symmetrical and full cells with about 250 μ m- thick electrolytes were fabricated and electrochemically characterized using impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic studies. Maximum power density of 500 mW cm ^−2 in fuel cell mode and an injected current of 1 A cm ^−2 at 1.3 V in electrolysis mode, both measured at 900 °C, were obtained demonstrating the feasibility of 3D printing for the fabrication of high-performance electrolyte-supported SOC. This, together with excellent stability proved for more than 350 h of operation, opens a new scenario for using complex-shaped SOC in real applications.
