Electrochemical carbon oxidation solid electrolytes

The basic elements of a SOFC are (1) a cathode, typically a rare earth transition metal perovskite oxide, where oxygen from air is reduced to oxide ions, which then migrate through a solid electrolyte (2) into the anode, (3) where they combine electrochemically with to produce water if hydrogen is the fuel or water and carbon dioxide if methane is used. Carbon monoxide may also be used as a fuel. The solid electrolyte is typically a yttrium or calcium stabilized zirconia fast oxide ion conductor. However, in order to achieve acceptable anion mobility, the cell must be operated at about 1000 °C. This requirement is the main drawback to SOFCs. The standard anode is a Nickel-Zirconia cermet. 

In electrochemistry an electrode is an electronic conductor in contact with an ionic conductor. The electronic conductor can be a metal, or a semiconductor, or a mixed electronic and ionic conductor. The ionic conductor is usually an electrolyte solution however, solid electrolytes and ionic melts can be used as well. The term electrode is also used in a technical sense, meaning the electronic conductor only. If not specified otherwise, this meaning of the term electrode is the subject of the present chapter. In the simplest case the electrode is a metallic conductor immersed in an electrolyte solution. At the surface of the electrode, dissolved electroactive ions change their charges by exchanging one or more electrons with the conductor. In this electrochemical reaction both the reduced and oxidized ions remain in solution, while the conductor is chemically inert and serves only as a source and sink of electrons. The technical term electrode usually also includes all mechanical parts supporting the conductor (e.g., a rotating disk electrode or a static mercury drop electrode). Furthermore, it includes all chemical and physical modifications of the conductor, or its surface (e.g., a mercury film electrode, an enzyme electrode, and a carbon paste electrode). However, this term does not cover the electrolyte solution and the ionic part of a double layer at the electrode/solution interface. Ion-selective electrodes, which are used in potentiometry, will not be considered in this chapter. Theoretical and practical aspects of electrodes are covered in various books and reviews [1-9]. 

Rabinovich L, Lev O, Tsirlina GA (1999) Electrochemical characterization of Pd modified ceramic vertical bar carbon electrodes partially flooded versus wetted channel hydrophobic gas electrodes. J Llectroanal Chem 466(l) 45-59 Rog G, Kielski A, Kozlowska-Rog A, Bucko M (1998) Composite (CaFj-AljOj) solid electrolytes-preparation, properties and application to the solid oxide galvanic cells. Ceram Int 24 91-98 Roh S-W, Stetter JR (2003) Amperometric sensing of NOx with cyclic voltammetry. J Electrochem Soc 150(11) H266-H272... 

The electrochemically active electrode materials in Li-ion batteries are a lithium metal oxide for the positive electrode and lithiated carbon for the negative electrode. These materials are adhered to a metal foil current collector with a binder, typically polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or the copolymer polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluroropropylene (PVDF-HFP), and a conductive diluent, typically a high-surface-area carbon black or graphite. The positive and negative electrodes are electrically isolated by a microporous polyethylene or polypropylene separator film in products that employ a liquid electrolyte, a layer of gel-polymer electrolyte in gel-polymer batteries, or a layer of solid electrolyte in solid-state batteries. 

---