| Abstract Scope |
Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) offer a promising pathway for efficient power generation and hydrogen production at intermediate temperatures (300–650 °C). This presentation highlights recent advances addressing challenges in ceramic manufacturing and interfacial engineering. A scalable ultrasonic spray coating approach is developed to fabricate single-grain-thick protonic electrolytes, enabling dense and chemically homogeneous membranes. The critical role of the negative electrode in electrolyte densification is identified, providing new insights into co-fabrication strategies. In parallel, nano–microstructured electrodes are designed to enhance electrode–electrolyte interfaces, resulting in improved interfacial kinetics and stable green hydrogen production. To probe hydration behavior, a custom operando DRIFTS platform is developed under high-temperature, steam, and biased conditions, enabling molecular-level insight into proton exchange kinetics. This presentation will also briefly introduce my research program at Penn State focused on next-generation electrochemical ceramic systems. |
