Electrolyte Materials for IT-SOFCs

Among the various types of alternative energy production technologies, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating at intermediate temperatures (400–700 °C) offer the advantage of possible use in both stationary and mobile energy production. To reach the goal of reducing the SOFC operating temperature, new types of electrolyte materials have attracted increasing attention. This chapter presents an overview of the various classes of oxide materials that exhibit fast oxygen-ion and proton conductivity and dual-phase mixture materials for use as solid electrolytes in clean energy applications such as solid oxide fuel cells. Emphasis is placed on the approach used to reduce the fuel cell operating temperature and increase the performance of the electrolyte materials in the intermediate-temperature range. We also review the relationship between structural and mechanistic features of the crystalline materials and their ion conduction properties. In addition, the new technique of electrolyte preparation is also an efficient way to decrease the operating temperature of SOFCs. Herein, we describe the advantages and disadvantages of selected preparation process for the thin-film electrolyte layer.