Revolutionizing hydrogen production with LSGM-based solid oxide electrolysis cells: An innovative approach by sonic spray

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are considered promising systems for generating green hydrogen, which is an alternative new energy source. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), the most common electrolyte in SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) and SOEC (solid oxide electrolysis cell) has pure ionic conductivity, but it is limited in high temperatures. Instead, La1-xSrxGa1-yMgyO3-δ (LSGM) has emerged as an important candidate electrolyte in such cells because of its superior ionic conductivity with a value of 0.1 S/cm at 1073 K. Therefore, electrolysis cells supported by LSGM may exhibit high durability and efficiency compared to YSZ-supported cells. In this study, an LSGM electrolyte-supported SOEC was successfully fabricated using a sonic spray method, which is presented as a new manufacturing approach. The cell was optimized by controlling the spray frequency and particle size, and its performance was then characterized and electrochemically analyzed. The results showed that the LSGM-based SOEC presents high performance for H2 production. During electrochemical electrolysis at 1073 K, a current density as high as 1.15 A·cm−2 was achieved when 1.3 V was applied. This superior electrolysis performance is attributed to the high ionic conductivity of LSGM. The performance and efficiency obtained with the use of LSGM demonstrate that this electrolyte could be successfully used in SOEC applications.