TA Success Stories: Glass-ceramic and ceramic materials for energy conversion and storage (CeramECS) from Politecnico di Torino to AGH-UST
Many successful projects stem from transnational access provided by ESTEEM3. This week, we focus on the “Glass-ceramic and ceramic materials for energy conversion and storage” project from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) which was granted access to the International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (IC-EM) at the AGH-UST in Krakow (Poland) one of the ESTEEM3 TA providers.
Introduction
The CeramECS “Glass-ceramic and ceramic materials for energy conversion and storage” project, carried out by Prof. Federico Smeacetto and PhD student Elisa Zanchi, from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, focuses on the advanced microscopy characterization of innovative ceramic coatings based on in situ modified MnCo spinels. The project was granted access to facilities and expertise of the International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (IC-EM) at the AGH-UST in Krakow in Autumn 2019 and Spring 2021, as part of the transnational access activities of ESTEEM3.
The application of a ceramic protective coating on the steel interconnects of Solid Oxide Cell stacks is a widely employed solution to limit the steel oxidation rate and chromium evaporation. Thanks to ESTEEM3 transnational access, it was possible to unravel the effect of the simultaneous addition of Cu and Fe on the microstructural properties of in-situ modified MnCo-based spinel coatings for solid oxide cell interconnects.
The main results of the project
The development of low carbon technologies for clean hydrogen production and conversion requires fundamental advances in the design and processing of functional ceramics. The project focuses on the characterization of Cu and Fe in-situ modified MnCo spinel coatings in terms of microstructural, thermo-mechanical and corrosion properties. The synergic effect of the Fe and Cu spinel co-doping on tuning the thermo-mechanical properties of the Mn-Co spinel, while simultaneously leading to both improved coating densification and higher corrosion resistance, is characterised by advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. This work provides the first comprehensive assessment of simultaneous Cu and Fe addition into the Mn–Co spinel dual-phase structure and lays the groundwork for future research into the tuning of Mn-based spinel properties.
Successful outcomes
POLITO and AGH jointly published two manuscripts in renowned journals:
- A.G. Sabato, E. Zanchi, S. Molin, G. Cempura, H. Javed, K. Herbrig, C. Walter, A.R. Boccaccini, F. Smeacetto, Mn-Co spinel coatings on Crofer 22 APU by electrophoretic deposition: Upscaling, performance in SOFC stack at 850 °C and compositional modifications, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 41 (2021) 4496–4504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2021.03.030.
- E. Zanchi, J. Ignaczak, S. Molin, G. Cempura, A.R. Boccaccini, F. Smeacetto, Electrophoretic co-deposition of Mn1.5Co1.5O4, Fe2O3 and CuO: Unravelling the effect of simultaneous addition of Cu and Fe on the microstructural, thermo-mechanical and corrosion properties of in-situ modified spinel coatings for solid oxide cell interconnects, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 42 (2022) 3271–3281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.02.008.