Ceramic Electrolytes for SOFC

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past several decades, fuel cell performances have been dramatically improved, mainly because of three-phase boundary improvements, the development of new materials, electrolyte thickness reduction, and the broadening of operating temperature ranges. SOFCs are the fuel cells with the longest continuous development period, starting approximately in the late 1950s, and early on, the limited conductivity of solid electrolytes required cell operations at around 1000 °C. As time went on, thinner or different electrolytes along with improved cathodes allowed a reduction in operating temperature down to 650–850 °C, even if the ongoing research is pushing SOFC operating temperatures even lower (i.e., 500–650 °C) in the so-called intermediate-temperature SOFCs (IT-SOFCs). Because of these various performance improvements, SOFCs are now considered for a wide range of applications, including stationary power generation, mobile power, auxiliary power for vehicles, and specialty applications. Ceria-based materials are one of the main reasons for this increasing interest, and they are one of the most promising candidates as electrolyte materials for IT-SOFCs, attracting innumerable studies all over the world. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue (entitled “Ceramic Electrolytes for SOFC”) is to gather cutting-edge research in the field of IT-SOFCs and, in particular, on ceria-related materials for solid electrolytes. For this purpose, I am very pleased to invite you to submit a manuscript (be it a full paper, communication, and/or review) to this Special Issue.

Dr. Luca Spiridigliozzi
Prof. Gianfranco Dell’Agli
Dr. Serena Esposito
Guest Editors

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