Catalysis in an Electrochemical Cell: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Electrolyzers and Electrochemical Sensors

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 12097

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Guest Editor
Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies (ITAE), The Italian National Research Council (CNR), 98126 Messina, Italy
Interests: smart material; electrocatalysts; protonic conductor; oxygen ion conductor; mixed ionic electronic conductors; ceramics; renewable; energy conversion; energy storage; solid oxide electrochemical devices
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Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue deals with a rapid dissemination of the most recent results concerning catalysis for solid oxide electrochemical cells operating at intermediate temperatures. These electrochemical cells have the potentiality to solve several issues in various sectors, such as monitoring of gases (i.e., industries, automobiles, etc.), the production of energy (a combination of thermal and electrical energy), storage and production of fuels from wastes.

The topics of this Special Issue will address the most recent achievements in electrode materials for future applications of these technologies, able to mitigate the environmental impact and the existing hurdles of conventional technologies.

Therefore, the topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

  • Detailed thermodynamics;
  • Detailed physical–chemical, electrochemical, and/or mechanical properties;
  • Fundamental analysis and modelling;
  • Analysis of requirements and cost estimate for large-scale production and operation;
  • Analysis of the environment impact.

Dr. Massimiliano Lo Faro
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fuel cell
  • electrolyser
  • sensor
  • protonic conductors
  • oxygen ion conductors
  • cermets
  • electrochemistry
  • mixed ionic electronic conductors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 5617 KiB  
Article
Ni-Free SOFC Anode Material with Thermal and Redox Stabilities for the Direct Utilization of Ethanol
by Selma Aparecida Venâncio and Paulo Emilio Valadão de Miranda
Catalysts 2023, 13(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13010134 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2225
Abstract
The direct utilization of anhydrous ethanol in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), with oxygen-storage anode materials of the type Cu-(ZrxCe1−xY0.2O2−δ-Al2O3), is presented. The ceramic processing of CeO2-Al2O3 and [...] Read more.
The direct utilization of anhydrous ethanol in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), with oxygen-storage anode materials of the type Cu-(ZrxCe1−xY0.2O2−δ-Al2O3), is presented. The ceramic processing of CeO2-Al2O3 and 8YSZ (8% mol yttria stabilized zirconia) favors the reaction between Ceria and 8YSZ. Therefore, anode materials composed of active solid solutions, such as (Zr0.25Ce0.75)0.8Y0.2O1.9 (cubic) and (Zr0.50Ce0.50)0.8Y0.2O1.9 (tetragonal), in addition to the Al2O3 phase, are produced and prevent the formation of CeAlO3. The anodes exhibited an excellent oxygen storage capacity, OSC, between 415 to 446 µmolg−1. This occurred due to the replacement of Ce4+ by Zr4+, generating structural defects that increase the oxygen ion mobility and the activity of the Ce4+/Ce3+ redox pair. The anode material presenting the cubic phase showed a better electrochemical performance. The Al2O3 phase provided thermal stability and prevented the coarsening of the solid solution and loss of Ceria’s redox activity. It allowed for SOFC operation at high temperatures, since the yield increased as the operating temperature rose from 750 to 950 °C. An analysis of the results before and after the SOFC operation at 950 °C for 200 h revealed that there was no significant copper grains coarsening since the performance increased with the temperature. The redox behavior during the SOFC operation is also explained through a theoretical physical–chemical mechanism. Full article
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14 pages, 2853 KiB  
Article
Promoting Effect of Cu on Pd Applied to the Hydrazine Electro-Oxidation and Direct Hydrazine Fuel Cells
by Rudy Crisafulli, Dryade Ferreira de Paula, Sabrina C. Zignani, Lorenzo Spadaro, Alessandra Palella, Simona Boninelli, José A. Dias and José J. Linares
Catalysts 2022, 12(12), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12121639 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2096
Abstract
Use of liquid fuels in fuel cells is advantageous due to the easier and safer handling, transportation, and storage. Among the different options, hydrazine is of interest since the formation of highly poisoning carbonaceous species is avoided, in addition to its high energy [...] Read more.
Use of liquid fuels in fuel cells is advantageous due to the easier and safer handling, transportation, and storage. Among the different options, hydrazine is of interest since the formation of highly poisoning carbonaceous species is avoided, in addition to its high energy density. In the search for more active direct hydrazine fuel cells (DHFC), this study analyzes the influence of Cu as an auxiliary metal on Pd. Three different PdxCu/C (x = 3, 1, and 0.33) catalysts were prepared by chemical reduction with NaBH4. The materials were physiochemically characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electrochemical analysis in a three-electrode glass cell and a single-cell DHFC was also carried out to study the impact on the electroactivity. Cu exerts a beneficial effect by reducing the adsorption energies of the adsorbed species and donating oxidized species for the completion of the hydrazine electro-oxidation, optimally balanced in the Pd1Cu/C (maximum power density of 180 mW cm−2). As a counterpoint, Cu slightly promotes the non-faradaic decomposition of hydrazine, seen by a larger H2 signal in mass spectroscopy in the anode exhaust at high current densities, which results in a slight loss in faradaic efficiency. Full article
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Review

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32 pages, 3987 KiB  
Review
Fundamentals and Principles of Solid-State Electrochemical Sensors for High Temperature Gas Detection
by Elena Gorbova, Fotini Tzorbatzoglou, Costas Molochas, Dimitris Chloros, Anatoly Demin and Panagiotis Tsiakaras
Catalysts 2022, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12010001 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6398
Abstract
The rapid development of science, technology, and engineering in the 21st century has offered a remarkable rise in our living standards. However, at the same time, serious environmental issues have emerged, such as acid rain and the greenhouse effect, which are associated with [...] Read more.
The rapid development of science, technology, and engineering in the 21st century has offered a remarkable rise in our living standards. However, at the same time, serious environmental issues have emerged, such as acid rain and the greenhouse effect, which are associated with the ever-increasing need for energy consumption, 85% of which comes from fossil fuels combustion. From this combustion process, except for energy, the main greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide and steam-are produced. Moreover, during industrial processes, many hazardous gases are emitted. For this reason, gas-detecting devices, such as electrochemical gas sensors able to analyze the composition of a target atmosphere in real time, are important for further improving our living quality. Such devices can help address environmental issues and inform us about the presence of dangerous gases. Furthermore, as non-renewable energy sources run out, there is a need for energy saving. By analyzing the composition of combustion emissions of automobiles or industries, combustion processes can be optimized. This review deals with electrochemical gas sensors based on solid oxide electrolytes, which are employed for the detection of hazardous gasses at high temperatures and aggressive environments. The fundamentals, the principle of operation, and the configuration of potentiometric, amperometric, combined (amperometric-potentiometric), and mixed-potential gas sensors are presented. Moreover, the results of previous studies on carbon oxides (COx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrogen (H2), oxygen (O2), ammonia (NH3), and humidity (steam) electrochemical sensors are reported and discussed. Emphasis is given to sensors based on oxygen ion and proton-conducting electrolytes. Full article
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