Interface-driven boost in the performance and stability of protonic ceramic electrochemical cells

Abstract

Abstract Interfacial resistance remains a key challenge in developing high-performance and durable protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs), especially at low temperatures. Here, we present a systematic interface engineering strategy that quantitatively correlates interfacial contact coverage with electrochemical performance. A thin and dense PrBa 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 1.5 Fe 0.5 O 5+δ interlayer is fabricated via low-cost and scalable precursor-based electrostatic spray deposition on a BaZr 0.4 Ce 0.4 Y 0.1 Yb 0.1 O 3-δ electrolyte, achieving a nearly complete contact coverage of 92.6 ± 0.6%. Equivalent circuit-based impedance modeling confirms that the improved contact coverage reduced both the interfacial ohmic and polarization resistances. The interface-engineered PCEC achieves a peak power density of 1.01 W/cm 2 in fuel cell mode and a current density of 1.15 A/cm 2 at 1.3 V in electrolysis mode at 500 °C. It also demonstrates improved interfacial mechanical integrity, preventing delamination under harsh thermal cycling, long-term operational stability, and fuel flexibility with direct ammonia and methane.