Heenan, TMM;
Lu, X;
Finegan, DP;
Robinson, J;
Iacoviello, F;
Bailey, JJ;
Brett, DJL;
(2018)
Evaluating microstructure evolution in an SOFC electrode using digital volume correlation.
Sustainable Energy and Fuels
, 2
pp. 2625-2635.
10.1039/c8se00292d.
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Abstract
Degradation mechanisms within solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) during thermal cycling limit operational start-up times and cell lifetime, and must therefore be better understood and mitigated. This work explores such mechanisms using digital volume correlation (DVC) techniques applied to lab-based X-ray tomograms where the microstructural evolution is evaluated during the operational cycling of a Ni-YSZ/YSZ cell. To emulate reduced start-up times, five tomograms were collected over four operational thermal cycles to 750 °C at various ramp-rates: 3, 10, 20 and 30 °C min-1. Two key features are observed in the 3D strain profiles. Firstly, during low ramp-rates the material produces microscopic channels towards cluster-points. This is thought to be caused by the ceramic skeleton inhibiting the effects of sintering. Secondly, previously unseen macroscopic 'waves' developed after high-rate cycling, consisting of linear regions of compression and tension throughout the sample. These wave features decay away from a heterogeneous defect which is thought to be responsible for the non-uniform strain profile. This work demonstrates the first use of sub-micron DVC computations applied to an SOFC exposed to operationally relevant temperatures. These findings will assist in the development of new electrode materials from their fabrication to operation, ultimately supporting commercial viability of SOFCs.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Evaluating microstructure evolution in an SOFC electrode using digital volume correlation |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1039/c8se00292d |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1039/c8se00292d |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Electronic and Electrical Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10063270 |
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