Low Temperature Protonic Solid Oxide Electrolysis

R&D Focus Areas:
Electrolysis

Lead Organisation:
Monash University

Partners:
Woodside Energy

Status:
Active

Start date:
January 2022

Completion date:
January 2025

Key contacts:
Professor Huanting Wang: Huanting.Wang@monash.edu

Funding:
Woodside Monash Energy Partnership

Project total cost:
Not applicable

Project summary description:
Current electrolysis operating at the high temperature range (typically 850-1000 °C) is based on solid oxide cells (SOCs) where cell components and balance-of-plant are predominantly ceramic and metal alloys. Operating at high temperatures can reduce electrical energy demand, but solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) is significantly more expensive because ceramic processing requires a high sintering temperature and involves multiple steps. One focus in SOE development is lowering the operating temperature while still attaining high performance.

The ionic properties of 2D nanosheets such as graphene, graphdiyne and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) have been widely studied, exhibiting high proton conductivity without requiring high temperature operation. Nevertheless, the studies are predominantly performed based on ideal cases, under well-controlled tests based on monolayer or few-layer 2D nanosheets. In studies where larger films made from 2D nanosheets are used, a performance loss is often reported. This project proposes the development of intermediate temperature electrolysis based on 2D nanosheets as a novel class of proton-conducting materials, and overcome challenges in fabricating components for high-performance electrolysis at a commercially relevant scale

Related publications and key links:
Not applicable

Higher degree studies supported:
Two PhD students and one Research Fellow is supported.

 

Reviewed: June 2024