Inkjet Printing Infiltration of the Doped Ceria Interlayer in Commercial Anode-Supported SOFCs

Single-step inkjet printing infiltration with doped ceria Ce0.9Ye0.1O1.95 (YDC) and cobalt oxide (CoxOy) precursor inks was performed in order to modify the properties of the doped ceria interlayer in commercial (50 × 50 × 0.5 mm3 size) anode-supported SOFCs. The penetration of the inks throughout the La0.8Sr0.2Co0.5Fe0.5O3−δ porous cathode to the Gd0.1Ce0.9O2 (GDC) interlayer was achieved by optimisation of the inks’ rheology jetting parameters. The low-temperature calcination (750 °C) resulted in densification of the Gd-doped ceria porous interlayer as well as decoration of the cathode scaffold with nanoparticles (~20–50 nm in size). The I–V testing in pure hydrogen showed a maximum power density gain of ~20% at 700 °C and ~97% at 800 °C for the infiltrated cells. The latter effect was largely assigned to the improvement in the interfacial Ohmic resistance due to the densification of the interlayer. The EIS study of the polarisation losses of the reference and infiltrated cells revealed a reduction in the activation polarisations losses at 700 °C due to the nano-decoration of the La0.8Sr0.2Co0.5Fe0.5O3−δ scaffold surface. Such was not the case at 800 °C, where the drop in Ohmic losses was dominant. This work demonstrated that single-step inkjet printing infiltration, a non-disruptive, low-cost technique, can produce significant and scalable performance enhancements in commercial anode-supported SOFCs.

Penetration and Displacement Behavior of N2 in Porous Interlayer Structures Containing Water/Salt Component by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The penetration and displacement behavior of N2 molecules in porous interlayer structures containing a water/salt component with porosities of 4.29%, 4.73%, 5.17%, 7.22%, and 11.38% were explored using molecular dynamics simulations. The results demonstrated that the large porosity of the interlayer structures effectively enhanced the permeation and diffusion characteristics of N2. The water and salt in the interlayer structures were displaced during the injection of N2 in the porosity sequence of 4.29% < 4.73% < 5.17% < 7.22% < 11.38%. The high permeance of 7.12 × 10−6 indicated that the interlayer structures with a porosity of 11.38% have better movability. The strong interaction of approximately 15 kcal/mol between N2 and H2O had a positive effect on the diffusion of N2 and the displacement of H2O before it reached a stable equilibrium state. The distribution of N2 in porous interlayer structures and the relationship between the logarithm of permeability and breakthrough pressure were presented. This work highlighted the effects of porosity on the permeability and diffusion of N2/H2O in the interlayer, thus providing theoretical guidance for the development of petroleum resources.

Enhancing the high-rate performance of LiFePO4batteries using carbonized-filter paper as an interlayer

The rate performance of LiFePO4batteries is improved by inserting a conductive and porous interlayer between the cathode and the separator.