Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells for Hydrogen and Power Generation
This community develops ceramic electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy into electricity or use electricity to split water and carbon dioxide into hydrogen and syngas.
The research centers on solid oxide electrolytes, specifically yttria-stabilized zirconia and doped ceria, paired with perovskite-based electrodes. A significant portion of the work focuses on intermediate-temperature operation to improve efficiency and durability. Key materials include lanthanum-strontium cobaltite and iron-based perovskites, often modified with doping strategies to enhance ionic conductivity and oxygen reduction activity. The community also investigates proton-conducting ceramic variants, which operate at lower temperatures than traditional oxide-ion conductors. Applications span solid oxide fuel cells for power generation and solid oxide electrolysis cells for green hydrogen production, with recent attention on reversible cells that can switch between fueling and electrolysis modes.
The largest share of the community's output is found in cerium research, accounting for 10.6% of all cerium research, and 7,974 papers here. Zirconium research contributes 3.3% of its total output, with 5,044 papers, and yttrium research contributes 4.0% of its total, with 3,953 papers.
The community comprises 34,873 papers, primarily published in Solid State Ionics, the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, and the Journal of Power Sources.
Recent work continues to focus on high-entropy perovskite cathodes, proton-conducting oxides with enhanced conductivity, and degradation mechanisms in long-term stack operation, with specific attention to suppressing strontium segregation and improving thermal expansion matching.