Solid oxide cells (SOCs), including solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), are among the most promising energy conversion technologies due to their high efficiency and fuel flexibility. However, the high-temperature sintering required for their manufacture often leads to undesirable reactions at the electrolyte and electrode interface, degrading cell performance. A thin, dense ceria-based barrier layer, typically composed of gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC), is widely used to prevent these reactions. Achieving sufficient densification of this barrier layer at lower temperatures remains a key challenge for advancing SOC technology.
The team published their work in Journal of Advanced Ceramics on November 14, 2024.
In the review, the authors systematically examine various strategies to enhance densification at reduced temperatures. These include optimizing powder synthesis methods, such as wet-chemical routes and mechanochemical processes, to produce finer and less-agglomerated particles with higher sintering activity. Additionally, it highlights the role of sintering aids, novel deposition methods, and post-sintering treatments in achieving denser microstructures. Emerging techniques like cold sintering and flash sintering are also discussed for their potential to revolutionize the field.
Significance
This review provides a comprehensive analysis of current technologies for the fabrication of ceria-based barrier layers in SOCs. By showing the key challenges and promising research directions, the study serves as a valuable resource for researchers and engineers working to improve the performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness of SOCs.
Authors' Opinion
"The insights presented in this review aim to guide future research and development efforts in achieving low-temperature densification of multi-layer ceramic materials," said a co-author of the study. "We believe this will have a significant impact on the scalability and commercial viability of solid oxide cells."
About Author
Na Ni is a tenured associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and an Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College London. She received her B.S. degree from Fudan University in China, her M.S. degree from University of Kiel in Germany, and obtained her PhD in materials science from Oxford University in the UK. She was an EPSRC Research Fellow at Imperial College London before moving to SJTU in 2017. Her research interests are on the design and understanding of nanoscale structure and chemistry in controlling material properties for optimizing materials design and processing. Her current research is mainly focused on processing and characterization of advanced ceramic materials for harsh environmental applications, including solid oxide cells and nuclear coatings. She has published over 60 research papers in high impact journals including Nature Communications and Acta Materialia with more than 3500 citations.
About Journal of Advanced Ceramics
Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC) is an international academic journal that presents the state-of-the-art results of theoretical and experimental studies on the processing, structure, and properties of advanced ceramics and ceramic-based composites. JAC is Fully Open Access, monthly published by Tsinghua University Press, and exclusively available via SciOpen . JAC's 2023 IF is 18.6, ranking in Top 1 (1/31, Q1) among all journals in "Materials Science, Ceramics" category, and its 2023 CiteScore is 21.0 (top 5%) in Scopus database. ResearchGate homepage: https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Journal-of-Advanced-Ceramics-2227-8508
About SciOpen
SciOpen is an open access resource of scientific and technical content published by Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, identity management, and expert advice to ensure each journal's development. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.
