Fuel Electrode Resistance as Initiator for Ni Migration Caused Degradation of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells
Anne Hauch, Albert Lopez de Moragas, Karl Thydén, Aiswarya Padinjarethil +3
AI summary
75% confidenceThe study investigates Ni migration in fuel electrode-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells (FSCs), identifying fuel electrode resistance as a key initiator for this degradation mechanism. By comparing two cells with similar initial overall resistance but different internal resistance distributions, the research highlights how high current densities and overpotentials drive nickel away from the electrode-electrolyte interface. This migration significantly impacts electrochemical performance and reduces cell lifetime.
Generated by MESSAI extraction pipeline · review against source PDF
No 3D model is mapped to this paper yet. Parameter ranges above still place reported values on the literature distribution.
Abstract
Abstract One major degradation mechanism in Ni-yttria-stabilized-zirconia (Ni/YSZ) fuel electrodes is the migration of Ni away from the fuel electrode-electrolyte interface. This degradation mechanism continues to pose a significant challenge in context of fuel electrode supported cell (FSCs). It significantly impacts both electrochemical performance and electrode lifetime. Ni migration is typically observed when operating at high current densities that lead to high overpotentials. In this work, two fuel electrode supported cells are compared, both with respect to initial electrochemical performance and lifetime. The two cells had similar initial overall resistance when operated in steam electrolysis at -0.75 A/cm 2 , inlet of H 2 O/H 2 :90/10 at 750 °C. Cell 1 initially had low resistance due to physical processes i.e. concentration polarization (R conc ) and high resistance due to electrochemical processes at the Ni/YSZ electrode (R Ni/YSZ ); while Cell 2 was designed to have high concentration polarization (R conc ) and low resistance due to electrochemical processes at the Ni/YSZ electrode. This work shows that it is R Ni/YSZ – not R conc or total resistance - that is the determining resistance contribution for fuel electrode degradation and Ni migration. Furthermore, post-test analysis show presence of impurities and a microstructure indicating a pre-cursor state for Ni migration.
Key findings
- Ni migration is a critical degradation mechanism in Ni/YSZ fuel electrodes that worsens under high current density conditions.
- Fuel electrode resistance, specifically the sum of concentration polarization and electrochemical process resistances, acts as an initiator for nickel migration.
- Comparing cells with different internal resistance distributions reveals that initial overall resistance alone does not predict degradation rates without considering individual resistance components.
Keywords
Identifiers
- Journal
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society
- Year
- 2026