a) Schematic illustration of the
microwave-driven vapor-phase diffusion process applied to the fabrication of
multilayered PCEC. b) High-resolution TEM images and of electrolyte particles
subjected to conventional sintering and MV-sintering at 800 °C. c)
Cross-sectional TEM images of BZCYYb pellets subjected to MV-sintering at 800
and 950 °C. Credit: Advanced Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202506905
As power demand surges in the AI era, the protonic ceramic electrochemical cell (PCEC), which can simultaneously produce electricity and hydrogen, is gaining attention as a next-generation energy technology. However, this cell has faced the technical limitation of requiring an ultra-high production temperature of 1,500°C.
A KAIST research team has succeeded
in establishing a new manufacturing process that lowers this limit by more than
500°C for the first time.
Breakthrough in cell manufacturing process
Professor Kang Taek Lee's research
team in the Department of Mechanical Engineering has developed a new process
that enables the fabrication of high-performance protonic ceramic
electrochemical cells at temperatures more than 500°C lower than before, using microwave + vapor
control technology
that leverages microwave heating principles and the diffusion environment of
chemical vapor generated from specific chemical components.
The work is published in the journal Advanced Materials.
The electrolyte—the key material of protonic ceramic electrochemical
cells—contains barium (Ba), and barium easily evaporates at temperatures above
1,500°C, which has been the main cause of performance degradation. Therefore,
the ability to harden the ceramic electrolyte at a lower temperature has been
the core issue that determines cell performance.
Innovative vapor-phase diffusion technique
To solve this, the research team
devised a new heat-treatment method called vapor-phase diffusion. This
technique places a special auxiliary material (a vapor source) next to the cell
and irradiates it with microwaves to quickly diffuse vapor.
When the temperature reaches
approximately 800°C, the vapor released from the auxiliary material moves
toward the electrolyte and tightly bonds the ceramic particles. Thanks to this
technology, a process that previously required 1,500°C can now be completed at
just 980°C.
In other words, a world-first
ceramic electrochemical cell fabrication technology has been created that
produces high-performance electricity at a low temperature without damaging the
electrolyte.
Performance results and industry impact
A cell fabricated with this process
produced 2
W of power stably from a 1 cm² cell at 600°C and generated 205 mL of hydrogen
per hour at 600°C (about the volume of a small paper cup, among the highest in
the industry). It also maintained stability without performance degradation
during 500 hours of continuous operation.
In other words, this technology
reduces the production temperature (−500°C), lowers the operating temperature
(600°C), doubles performance (2 W/cm²), and extends the lifespan (500-hour
stability), achieving world-class performance in ceramic cell technology.
The research team also enhanced the
reliability of the technology by using digital twins (virtual simulations) to
analyze gas-transport phenomena occurring in the microscopic internal structure
of the cell − phenomena that are difficult to observe in actual experiments.
Professor Kang Taek Lee emphasized,
"This study is the world's first case of using vapor to lower the
heat-treatment temperature by more than 500°C while still producing a
high-performance, high-stability cell. It is expected to become a key manufacturing
technology that addresses the power challenges of the AI era and accelerates
the hydrogen society."
Dongyeon Kim (KAIST Ph.D.) and Yejin Kang (KAIST Ph.D. candidate) participated as co–first authors.
Provided by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Source: Ceramic electrochemical cell production temperature drops by over 500°C with new method
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