Professor Stephen Skinner, Imperial College London

In order to address the challenges of climate change it is essential that there is a transition from carbon intensive energy generation and storage technologies to net zero carbon alternatives. Solid oxide cells offer high efficiency alternatives as devices offering both power generation and fuel production modes. To ensure this technology reaches its full potential there are a number of technology barriers to overcome that are mainly focused on the lifetime of the cell in fuel production (electrolysis) mode. Understanding of the key electrochemical processes occurring at interfaces between functional components is essential as it is these processes that control both ultimate performance and device durability. Solid oxide cells are one of several contenders that will address our future energy needs, and indeed fuel cell technology (power generation) is currently exploited in limited commercial environments in, for example, Japan. To fully transition to a net zero carbon economy however these cells will require a supply of net zero carbon fuels, and one of the more attractive options is hydrogen produced through steam electrolysis. Using solid oxide cells, operating at high temperatures, offers an efficient and effective route to produce hydrogen that is scalable, allowing these devices to operate in a range of environments, from domestic and light industrial settings to remote environment operation. Development of this technology will revolutionise the energy landscape. Our work investigates the fundamental processes occurring in the electrode materials, develops potential new candidate materials with higher performance and aims to understand the mechanisms of translating these discoveries to industry partners.