Voltage pulsing for performance recovery of yttria-stabilised zirconia membranes in oxygen/sulfur dioxide separation

• Regeneration of YSZ exposed to SO2 using voltage pulsing investigated.
• Resistances increase due to sulfur adsorption and the formation of sulphide.
• DC voltage pulses assist the removal of sulphur, leading to performance recovery.
• Greatest membrane performance recovery achieved with a 0.08 s, 10 V cathodic DC bias.
• Steady membrane performance achieved during 20 h SO2 exposure tests.

The regeneration of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) membranes exposed to high concentration sulfur dioxide in oxygen at 850 °C using DC voltage pulses was investigated by in-situ impedance spectroscopy. The membranes consisted of a dense YSZ layer as the solid electrolyte coated with two platinum layers as electrodes. On operation in the presence of SO2, the serial resistance and polarization resistance of the Pt/YSZ cell increased. This is most likely due to the formation of sulfide at the interface area of the electrode and electrolyte combined with sulfur adsorption on electrode surface. DC Voltage pulses were found to have an effect on the charge transfer and mass transfer properties of the Pt/YSZ cell, assisting the removal of sulfur on the cathode surface and leading to performance recovery of the cell. In these experiments, the greatest rate of membrane performance recovery is achieved with a cathodic DC bias of 10 V, applied for 0.08 s. Higher or longer voltage pulses may cause the rate controlling step for the oxygen reduction reaction to shift to oxygen supplied in feed from oxygen surface exchange and diffusion processes. A relatively steady membrane performance was achieved during 20 h SO2 exposure tests. It is concluded that DC voltage pulses show promise as a method for reducing the performance degradation effects of poisoning due to sulfur containing gases in the fields of fuel cells and in the sulfur family of thermochemical cycles.