Optimized processing of electrodes for SOFC and SOEC
AssigneeBloom Energy Corporation
InventorsTad Armstrong, Justin Railsback
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for fabricating a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) including sintering an electrolyte, printing a fuel-side electrode disposed on a fuel side of the electrolyte, printing an air-side electrode disposed on an air side of the electrolyte, first sintering a combination of the electrolyte, fuel-side electrode, and air-side electrode, printing a barrier layer an air side of the electrolyte, printing a functional layer on the barrier layer, printing a collector layer on the functional layer, and second sintering a combination of the electrolyte, fuel-side electrode, air-side electrode, barrier layer, functional layer, and collector layer.
Claims14
A method of fabricating a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC), the method comprising:
- sintering an electrolyte comprising a stabilized zirconia material;
- printing a fuel-side electrode comprising a cermet including a metal-containing phase and a ceramic phase on a fuel side of the electrolyte and printing a barrier layer comprising a samaria-doped ceria (SDC) material on an air side of the electrolyte to form a printed electrolyte;
- sintering the printed electrolyte, at between 1190° C. and 1400° C. for a duration of between 0.5 hours and 4 hours, to sinter the printed fuel-side electrode including the cermet and densify the printed barrier layer during a same first sintering step;
- printing a functional layer comprising a SDC material and an electrically conductive lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) material on the densified barrier layer and printing a first collector layer on the functional layer after the first sintering step to form an electrolyzer cell;
- and
- sintering the electrolyzer cell comprising the printed functional layer and the printed first collector layer, at between 800° C. and 1000° C. for a duration between 0.5 hours and 6 hours, during a same second sintering step after placing the electrolyzer cell into a SOEC stack.
A method of fabricating a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC), the method comprising:
- printing a fuel-side electrode comprising a cermet including a metal-containing phase and a ceramic phase on a fuel side of an electrolyte and printing a barrier layer comprising a samaria-doped ceria (SDC) material on an air side of the electrolyte to form a printed electrolyte;
- sintering the printed electrolyte, at between 1190° C. and 1400° C. for a duration of between 0.5 hours and 4 hours, to sinter the printed fuel-side electrode including the cermet and densify the printed barrier layer during a same first sintering step;
- printing a functional layer comprising a SDC material and an electrically conductive lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) material on the densified barrier layer and printing a first collector layer on the functional layer to form an electrolyzer cell;
- stacking the electrolyzer cell and additional electrolyzer cells that include un-sintered first collector and functional layers between interconnects to form an SOEC stack;
- and
- heating the SOEC stack, at between 800° C. and 1000° C. for a duration between 0.5 hours and 6 hours, to sinter the un-sintered first collector and functional layers of the electrolyzer cells during a same second sintering step.
A method of fabricating a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC), the method comprising:
- printing a fuel-side electrode comprising a cermet including a metal-containing phase and a ceramic phase on a fuel side of an electrolyte and printing a barrier layer comprising a samaria-doped ceria (SDC) material on an air side of the electrolyte to form a printed electrolyte;
- sintering the printed electrolyte, at between 1190° C. and 1400° C. for a duration of between 0 hours and 4 hours, to sinter the printed fuel-side electrode including the cermet and densify the printed barrier layer during a same first sintering step;
- printing a functional layer comprising a samaria-doped ceria (SDC) material and an electrically conductive lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) material on the densified barrier layer and printing a first collector layer on the functional layer to form an electrolyzer cell;
- and
- sintering the electrolyzer cell comprising the printed functional layer and the printed first collector layer, at between 800° C. and 1000° C. for a duration between 0.5 hours and 6 hours, during a same second sintering step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.