(BZYP) Thin Films as Anode Materials for Proton-Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells*

Proton-conducting solid oxide electrolysis cell (H-SOEC) is of increasing interest as a result of its promising electrochemical application that efficiently converts electrical energy to chemical energy. However, the poor anode activity towards the water-splitting reaction is still the hindrance of the overall performance of H-SOCEs. In this study, novel perovskite Ba(ZrYPr)O_3-δ (BZYP) materials are investigated as the anode for the electrolysis cell to improve its proton-conducting ability. We used high-throughput experimental technique to reveal the chemical and electrical properties of BZYP perovskite and identify their appropriate composition for effective water splitting application. The BZYP combinatorial libraries films are synthesized using combinatorial pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and characterized by spatially resolved techniques for composition, structure, thickness, and electrical properties. Overall, through innovative material discovery and characterization using HTS, an anode with extensively broadened reactive sites will be developed for proton-conducting solid oxide electrolysis cells applications.