SOL-GEL THIN FILM YSZ FOR OXYGEN GENERATION/REMOVAL, SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL, AND ELECTROCHEMICAL REMOVAL OF CO_2 APPLICATIONS

摘要

Ceramic membrane electrolyzers operate at high temperatures (800-1000°C). The high operating temperature can lead to complex materials problems. In order to reduce the high temperature the resistive loss in the electrolyte should be minimized. One of the solutions would be to decrease the thickness of the solid electrolyte. The goal is to prepare, characterize and test thin yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) membranes prepared using sol-gel method. We are able to fabricate thin (about 20 μm), dense, non-porous, YSZ electrolyte. The YSZ can withstand a pressure differential of 3 psi, which is a very important characteristic for applications such as oxygen generators. At lower operating temperature of 700°C, the calculated voltage drop across our thin YSZ film is about 1/3 of the voltage drop using conventional thicker membranes. This allows the system configuration to operate at higher current density and lower electrode area (lower system weight/unit volume of oxygen production).