| Abstract Scope |
Solid oxide electrolysis cells have high potential to produce hydrogen for fuel cleanly efficiently. Issues for the technology are phase stability, compositional changes, Cr resistance, and morphology microstructure in the oxygen electrode. A La2NiO4+δ backbone was chosen for its interstitial oxygen (Oï) conductivity mechanism, as its ionic conductivity is maintained under high PO2. Due to a lower surface oxygen transport coefficient, surface engineering of the oxygen electrode was completed with binary LaCoO3-δ (LCO), ternary La(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O3-δ (LNMO), and HEP (La0.2Sr0.2Pr0.2Y0.2Ba0.2)Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSPYB). A molecular infiltration technique utilizing the catechol-family of molecules as a surfactant was used, permitting controllable adhesion coating properties, enabling complex chemistry deposition in high phase purity, and maintaining nano-scale particles, all of which were achieved through a lower-than-typical firing temperature. Characterization was completed on electrochemical properties via EIS of infiltrated LNO backbones, on surface properties via SEM and AFM, and on phase purity by XRD and XPS. |