Inversion of oxygen potential transitions at grain boundaries of SOFC/SOEC electrolytes

Solid oxide fuel/electrolyzer cell (SOFC/SOEC) converts energy between chemical and electrical forms inversely. Yet electrolyte degradation takes place much more severe for SOEC than SOFC during long-term operations. By solving transport equations, we found very large oxygen potential gradients and sharp oxygen potential transitions at grain boundaries of polycrystalline SOFC/SOEC electrolyte. Surprisingly, an inversion of oxygen potential transitions was identified, suggesting a fundamentally different transport mechanism for minor electronic charge carriers. Such findings could be critical to understand and eliminate SOFC/SOEC degradations in practical applications.