Cutting energy loss and degradation at electrode/electrolyte interface of Solid Oxide Cells by femtosecond laser micromachining

BASBUS J.F.; ASENSIO A. M.; CADEMARTORI D.; SAVIO L.; PANI M.; GALLUS E.; CARPANESE M. P.; BARBUCCI A.; MASSIMO VIVIANI; SABRINA PRESTO

Congreso; 74th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), Lyon, France.; 2023

Solid Oxide Cells (SOCs) are promising high temperature electrochemical devices to obtain clean energies from renewable sources. However, high operating temperatures contribute to the degradation of the cell components. This work presents the surface modification of a dense and commercial SOC electrolyte by an advanced laser technique and its effect on the electrochemical performance. A patterned fluorite-based electrolyte was designed with an equally spaced pillar shape microstructure to increase thesurface/area ratio and therefore the electrochemical properties. In addition, laser ablation introduced nano-microcrystalline domains and mixed oxidation states on the surface respect to the reference sample. Then, a commercial perovskite powder was used as porous air electrode for half-cells to determine the electrochemical benefits of the laser ablation. The patterned electrolyte significantly improved the electrical behavior and the chemical stability over time with respect to the reference sample, both as half-cells. These enhancements could be explained by the synergic effect among surface/area, nano/microcrystalline domains and superficial mixed oxidation states induced by the exposure to the laser beam. In addition, complete cells were developed and tested by using a commercial and porous fuel electrode, where the patterned sample evidenced significant improvements compared to the reference sample. Therefore, laser ablation technique has potential applications in SOCs as well as other electrochemical devices.