Pause
Read
CEA vacancy search engine

Enhancing Faradaic Efficiency in Protonic Ceramic Electrolysis Cells (PCCELs) through Electrolyte and El


Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DES-26-0128  

Thesis topic details

Category

Engineering science

Thesis topics

Enhancing Faradaic Efficiency in Protonic Ceramic Electrolysis Cells (PCCELs) through Electrolyte and Electrode–Electrolyte Interface Engineering

Contract

Thèse

Job description

Proton conducting ceramic electrolysis cells (PCCELs), an advanced variant of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), enable the direct production of hydrogen through steam electrolysis using proton-conducting electrolytes. Unlike conventional SOECs, which rely on oxygen ion (O²?) conductors, PCCELs operate at lower temperatures (~400–600?°C vs. 750–850?°C for SOECs) due to their higher proton conductivity. This lower operating temperature helps reduce material degradation and overall system costs. While SOEC technology has reached industrial maturity, with large-scale deployment projects underway, the development of PCCELs remains limited by several scientific challenges. These include the difficulty of densifying electrolytes (such as BaCeO3–BaZrO3) without barium volatilization during high-temperature sintering; the proton transport limitations posed by grain boundaries; and the poor control of electrode–electrolyte interfaces. This thesis aims to improve the faradaic efficiency of PCCELs by optimizing the microstructure of the electrolyte and engineering high-quality interfaces through targeted surface treatments. The methodology includes cell fabrication, interface engineering, and electrochemical evaluation. The ultimate goal is to establish robust and scalable processing protocols that enable PCCELs to achieve faradaic efficiencies above 95%, compatible with industrial-scale deployment.

University / doctoral school

Sciences Chimiques
Université de Strasbourg

Thesis topic location

Site

Grenoble

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2026

Person to be contacted by the applicant

CELIKBILEK AGNESE Ozden ozden.celikbilek@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DTNM

0438785433

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

ZAFEIRATOS Spyridon spiros.zafeiratos@unistra.fr
Université de Strasbourg
Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Energie, l'Environnement et la Santé
ICPEES-UMR 7515
CNRS-ECPM-Université de Strasbourg
25, rue Becquerel, F 67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2
FRANCE

03 68 85 27 55

En savoir plus