Internship in Solid Oxide Cell­­,­­ SOC Development

A key challenge on the path to climate neutrality is storing power generated by renewable sources for example in form of hydrogen. Electrolysis mode operation of the solid oxide cell (SOC) as solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) enables direct conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy. By virtue of its operation temperature of 600 °C and above, the SOEC has the highest electrical efficiency among electrolysis technologies, making it a very promising technology for the hydrogen economy of the future. To improve our understanding of occurring processes in SOEC operation, cells are experimentally characterized to determine their performance as well as determine data to parameterize or validate physical models predicting cell performance or aging. During this internship you will experimentally characterize (i) SOEC single cells and (ii) SOEC electrodes using electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and current-voltage characteristics. You will evaluate experimental data and present results in an interdisciplinary team. Additionally, you will further develop data analysis tools.