Three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of an entire solid oxide fuel cell by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

J. Scott Cronin; Yu Chen Karen Chen-Wiegart; Jun Wang; Scott A. Barnett

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.01.060

Three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of an entire solid oxide fuel cell by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

J. Scott Cronin, Yu Chen Karen Chen-Wiegart, Jun Wang, Scott A. Barnett^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Materials Science and Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

102 Scopus citations

Abstract

An entire active region of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was structurally analyzed by X-ray computed nano-tomography using full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (NANO-TXM). A total three-dimensional volume of ∼38,500 μm³ was imaged, from which Ni-YSZ anode functional layer (∼3650 μm³) and LSM-YSZ cathode functional layer (∼4100 μm³) volumes were reconstructed. These were among the largest-volume electrode reconstructions ever reported, while at the same time exhibiting high spatial resolution of 50 nm. Comparison with electrode microstructures measured using other imaging methods demonstrates that the larger NANO-TXM-measured volumes provided significantly more accurate phase connectivity information. A microstructure-based electrochemical model prediction agreed well with the measured full-cell electrochemical data. The results suggest that low LSM connectivity and slow oxygen reduction reaction kinetics in the cathode were a major limitation to the overall cell performance.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	174-179
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Power Sources
Volume	233
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.01.060
State	Published - 2013

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Foundation Ceramics program through grant DMR-0907639 . Furthermore, efforts by Kyle Yakal-Kremski for electrode visualization and Prof. Eric Maire who provided us with the ImageJ plug-in for tortuosity calculations are greatly appreciated. We thank Dr. Fernando Camino (BNL) for assisting the development of the sample preparation procedure using FIB/SEM at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886. Use of the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

Keywords

3D
Electrode
Microstructure
Reconstruction
SOFC
X-ray tomography

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.01.060

Cite this

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title = "Three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of an entire solid oxide fuel cell by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy",

abstract = "An entire active region of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was structurally analyzed by X-ray computed nano-tomography using full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (NANO-TXM). A total three-dimensional volume of ∼38,500 μm3 was imaged, from which Ni-YSZ anode functional layer (∼3650 μm3) and LSM-YSZ cathode functional layer (∼4100 μm3) volumes were reconstructed. These were among the largest-volume electrode reconstructions ever reported, while at the same time exhibiting high spatial resolution of 50 nm. Comparison with electrode microstructures measured using other imaging methods demonstrates that the larger NANO-TXM-measured volumes provided significantly more accurate phase connectivity information. A microstructure-based electrochemical model prediction agreed well with the measured full-cell electrochemical data. The results suggest that low LSM connectivity and slow oxygen reduction reaction kinetics in the cathode were a major limitation to the overall cell performance.",

keywords = "3D, Electrode, Microstructure, Reconstruction, SOFC, X-ray tomography",

author = "Cronin, {J. Scott} and Chen-Wiegart, {Yu Chen Karen} and Jun Wang and Barnett, {Scott A.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Foundation Ceramics program through grant DMR-0907639 . Furthermore, efforts by Kyle Yakal-Kremski for electrode visualization and Prof. Eric Maire who provided us with the ImageJ plug-in for tortuosity calculations are greatly appreciated. We thank Dr. Fernando Camino (BNL) for assisting the development of the sample preparation procedure using FIB/SEM at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886. Use of the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.",

year = "2013",

doi = "10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.01.060",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "233",

pages = "174--179",

journal = "Journal of Power Sources",

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T1 - Three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of an entire solid oxide fuel cell by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

AU - Cronin, J. Scott

AU - Chen-Wiegart, Yu Chen Karen

AU - Wang, Jun

AU - Barnett, Scott A.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Foundation Ceramics program through grant DMR-0907639 . Furthermore, efforts by Kyle Yakal-Kremski for electrode visualization and Prof. Eric Maire who provided us with the ImageJ plug-in for tortuosity calculations are greatly appreciated. We thank Dr. Fernando Camino (BNL) for assisting the development of the sample preparation procedure using FIB/SEM at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886. Use of the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - An entire active region of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was structurally analyzed by X-ray computed nano-tomography using full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (NANO-TXM). A total three-dimensional volume of ∼38,500 μm3 was imaged, from which Ni-YSZ anode functional layer (∼3650 μm3) and LSM-YSZ cathode functional layer (∼4100 μm3) volumes were reconstructed. These were among the largest-volume electrode reconstructions ever reported, while at the same time exhibiting high spatial resolution of 50 nm. Comparison with electrode microstructures measured using other imaging methods demonstrates that the larger NANO-TXM-measured volumes provided significantly more accurate phase connectivity information. A microstructure-based electrochemical model prediction agreed well with the measured full-cell electrochemical data. The results suggest that low LSM connectivity and slow oxygen reduction reaction kinetics in the cathode were a major limitation to the overall cell performance.

AB - An entire active region of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was structurally analyzed by X-ray computed nano-tomography using full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (NANO-TXM). A total three-dimensional volume of ∼38,500 μm3 was imaged, from which Ni-YSZ anode functional layer (∼3650 μm3) and LSM-YSZ cathode functional layer (∼4100 μm3) volumes were reconstructed. These were among the largest-volume electrode reconstructions ever reported, while at the same time exhibiting high spatial resolution of 50 nm. Comparison with electrode microstructures measured using other imaging methods demonstrates that the larger NANO-TXM-measured volumes provided significantly more accurate phase connectivity information. A microstructure-based electrochemical model prediction agreed well with the measured full-cell electrochemical data. The results suggest that low LSM connectivity and slow oxygen reduction reaction kinetics in the cathode were a major limitation to the overall cell performance.

KW - 3D

KW - Electrode

KW - Microstructure

KW - Reconstruction

KW - SOFC

KW - X-ray tomography

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JO - Journal of Power Sources

JF - Journal of Power Sources

ER -

Three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of an entire solid oxide fuel cell by full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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