Self-sustainable protonic ceramic electrochemical cells using a triple conducting electrode for hydrogen and power production

TLDR

The protonic ceramic electrochemical cell (PCEC) is an emerging technology that converts energy between power and hydrogen using solid oxide proton conductors at intermediate temperatures. The study develops a triple conducting oxide PrNi0.5Co0.5O3-δ perovskite oxygen electrode to enable efficient electrochemical hydrogen and power production with stable operation at 400–600 °C. The triple conducting oxide electrode demonstrates superior electrochemical performance at 400–600 °C, enabling self‑sustainable and reversible operation by converting generated hydrogen in electrolysis mode to electricity without external hydrogen, with excellent electrocatalytic activity attributed to high proton conduction confirmed by hydrogen permeation experiments, hydration behavior, and computations.

Abstract

Abstract The protonic ceramic electrochemical cell (PCEC) is an emerging and attractive technology that converts energy between power and hydrogen using solid oxide proton conductors at intermediate temperatures. To achieve efficient electrochemical hydrogen and power production with stable operation, highly robust and durable electrodes are urgently desired to facilitate water oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions, which are the critical steps for both electrolysis and fuel cell operation, especially at reduced temperatures. In this study, a triple conducting oxide of PrNi 0.5 Co 0.5 O 3-δ perovskite is developed as an oxygen electrode, presenting superior electrochemical performance at 400~600 °C. More importantly, the self-sustainable and reversible operation is successfully demonstrated by converting the generated hydrogen in electrolysis mode to electricity without any hydrogen addition. The excellent electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the considerable proton conduction, as confirmed by hydrogen permeation experiment, remarkable hydration behavior and computations.