Long-Term Tests and Advanced Post-Test Characterizations of the Oxygen Electrode in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) are a promising energy conversion technology for the production of green hydrogen via steam electrolysis. However, performance loss remains a bottleneck for large-scale commercialization. Here, we investigate the different types of degradation occurring in a state-of-the-art cell composed of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-Ce0.8Gd0.2O2 (LSCF-GDC) composite for the oxygen electrode, GDC for the barrier layer, Y0.16Zr0.84O1.92 (8YSZ) for the electrolyte and Ni-YSZ for the fuel electrode. Electrochemical impedance spectra measured before and after operation at 750 °C for 2000 hours at -1 A cm-2 in SOEC mode revealed no significant evolution for the oxygen electrode contribution. To investigate potential degradation of this electrode, we performed multi-modal chemical imaging based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction (µ-XRD) with a resolution at the micrometer-scale. In addition, we monitored the evolution of the chemical composition and chemical environment before and after ageing using laboratory X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All these analyses revealed a slight evolution of the crystal lattice parameter in the oxygen electrode and the inter-diffusion layer. It was also found that Sr segregation accelerates with ageing. However, more severe ageing conditions and/or longer ageing durations are required in order to observe an effect on the performance.