Durability Testing of Vanadia and Yttria Co-doped Zirconia Electrode (VYZion)

Methane assisted co-electrolysis has emerged as a promising means for cost-effective hydrogen and syngas production, but coking, agglomerate formation, and sulfur poising degrades the performance of Nickel-based electrodes operating at high steam concentrations and in the presence of contaminants. The common LSM or LCSF based electrodes degrade rapidly at elevated oxygen partial pressures forming a resistive barrier layer of SrZrO3. This project will advance a novel vanadia and yttria co-doped zirconia electrode (VYZion) for durable reversible solid oxide cells developed by Alternative Energy Materials LLC. The VYZion materialĺs stable cubic zirconia structure tolerates contaminants such as sulfur and enables co-sintering of a seal-free monolith to eliminate the risk of silicon contamination from glass seals. Notably the material facilitates operating at high pressure that improves efficiency, simplifies the balance-of-plant, and can produce a continuous carbon-neutral syngas feedstock for the production of sustainable liquid fuels from intermittent renewable resources. The project will utilize existing test facilities to perform high-throughput dopant concentration optimization in parallel with long-duration studies of cells co-electrolyzing steam and carbon-dioxide into a sustainable syngas product. Testing will demonstrate durability with sulfur contaminants under standard and pressurized operating conditions. This 12-month scope of work will advance the VYZion integrated monolith concept from TRL3 to TRL4. The outcome will validate the performance and durability of AEMĺs pressurized high-temperature electrolysis system and complement ongoing work to commercialize a novel additive ceramic fabrication for low-cost electrolyzer development.