The corrosion of current collector materials in MoltenCarbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) is investigated. The essential aimsof this investigation were to study the corrosion behaviour ofdifferent materials, in varying cathode and anode MCFCenvironments, and to study the contact corrosion resistancesbetween the MCFC current collector and electrodes. For thesepurposes, pure iron, iron-chromium binary alloys and severalcommercial steels were investigated in molten carbonate meltswithin the pot-cell laboratory set-up. In addition, the contactcorrosion resistances, between an AISI 310 current collectorand two cathodes (NiO and LiCoO2), were studied in a laboratory fuel cell.Post-tests were done to study the corrosion products formed atthe surfaces. In cathode environments, corrosion potential increased overtime as a protective corrosion layer slowly formed. Eventually,the potential reached a stable value close to the cathodeoperating potential. The main cathode reaction, as corrosionpotential increased, changed from water reduction to oxygenreduction. Corrosion rate under the operating cathode conditiondepended on the chromium content; the higher the concentrationof chromium, the lower the corrosion rate. The corrosion ratesof ferritic steels, with high chromium content, and AISI 310were higher at the so-called outlet operating condition incomparison to the standard and so-called inlet conditions. Thecorrosion rate was higher at the beginning of the exposure,which resulted in a relatively fast corrosion layer growth thatslowed as the protective layer was formed. It was shown thatthe corrosion layers, formed on iron-chromium alloys, AISI 310and ferritic high chromium-containing steels, consisted of twolayers. The outer layer was porous and iron rich, while theinner layer was quite compact and rich in chromium and/oraluminiumTherefore, the corrosion behaviour was dependent onthe corrosion layer structure at the metal surface. In anode environments, the beneficial behaviour of aluminiumin ferritic alloys, with high aluminium contents, was due tothe formation of aluminium oxide and/or lithium aluminium oxideat the surface. The corrosion rates at the standard and outletconditions were of the same order of magnitude, while thecorrosion rates at the inlet conditions were considerablyhigher. The lower temperatures and higher carbon dioxideconcentrations in the inlet conditions appeared to result in asurface layer deficient in aluminium. A modified theoreticalmodel was developed to evaluate the corrosion current densitiesfrom experimental polarisation curves or linear polarisationresistance measurements in anode environments. The fittingswere found to be very good. An experimental method was developed forin-situmeasurements of the contributions to the totalohmic losses at the cathode in a laboratory scale MCFC. Thecontact resistance between the cathode and current collectorcontributed quite a large value to the total cathodepolarization. The corrosion layer, formed between the LiCoO2cathode and AISI 310 current collector, wasiron-rich and more porous, and contained a small amount ofcobalt. This was deemed to consist of a two-phase oxide, whichresulted in a lower conductivity. The corrosion layer, formedbetween the NiO cathode and AISI 310 current collector, wasrich in nickel. The corrosion layers on the AISI 310, incontact with the cathode, had a different composition comparedto samples immersed in carbonate melts. <b>Key words</b>: molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), corrosion,current collector, contact corrosion resistance.

<p>The corrosion of current collector materials in MoltenCarbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) is investigated. The essential aimsof this investigation were to study the corrosion behaviour ofdifferent materials, in varying cathode and anode MCFCenvironments, and to study the contact corrosion resistancesbetween the MCFC current collector and electrodes. For thesepurposes, pure iron, iron-chromium binary alloys and severalcommercial steels were investigated in molten carbonate meltswithin the pot-cell laboratory set-up. In addition, the contactcorrosion resistances, between an AISI 310 current collectorand two cathodes (NiO and LiCoO₂), were studied in a laboratory fuel cell.Post-tests were done to study the corrosion products formed atthe surfaces.</p><p>In cathode environments, corrosion potential increased overtime as a protective corrosion layer slowly formed. Eventually,the potential reached a stable value close to the cathodeoperating potential. The main cathode reaction, as corrosionpotential increased, changed from water reduction to oxygenreduction. Corrosion rate under the operating cathode conditiondepended on the chromium content; the higher the concentrationof chromium, the lower the corrosion rate. The corrosion ratesof ferritic steels, with high chromium content, and AISI 310were higher at the so-called outlet operating condition incomparison to the standard and so-called inlet conditions. Thecorrosion rate was higher at the beginning of the exposure,which resulted in a relatively fast corrosion layer growth thatslowed as the protective layer was formed. It was shown thatthe corrosion layers, formed on iron-chromium alloys, AISI 310and ferritic high chromium-containing steels, consisted of twolayers. The outer layer was porous and iron rich, while theinner layer was quite compact and rich in chromium and/oraluminiumTherefore, the corrosion behaviour was dependent onthe corrosion layer structure at the metal surface.</p><p>In anode environments, the beneficial behaviour of aluminiumin ferritic alloys, with high aluminium contents, was due tothe formation of aluminium oxide and/or lithium aluminium oxideat the surface. The corrosion rates at the standard and outletconditions were of the same order of magnitude, while thecorrosion rates at the inlet conditions were considerablyhigher. The lower temperatures and higher carbon dioxideconcentrations in the inlet conditions appeared to result in asurface layer deficient in aluminium. A modified theoreticalmodel was developed to evaluate the corrosion current densitiesfrom experimental polarisation curves or linear polarisationresistance measurements in anode environments. The fittingswere found to be very good.</p><p>An experimental method was developed for<i>in-situ</i>measurements of the contributions to the totalohmic losses at the cathode in a laboratory scale MCFC. Thecontact resistance between the cathode and current collectorcontributed quite a large value to the total cathodepolarization. The corrosion layer, formed between the LiCoO₂cathode and AISI 310 current collector, wasiron-rich and more porous, and contained a small amount ofcobalt. This was deemed to consist of a two-phase oxide, whichresulted in a lower conductivity. The corrosion layer, formedbetween the NiO cathode and AISI 310 current collector, wasrich in nickel. The corrosion layers on the AISI 310, incontact with the cathode, had a different composition comparedto samples immersed in carbonate melts.</p><p><b>Key words</b>: molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), corrosion,current collector, contact corrosion resistance.</p>

<div>The manufacturing cost of solar cells along with their efficiency and reliability define the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). One needs to reduce LCOE to make solar cells cost competitive compared to other sources of electricity. After a sustained decrease since 2001 the manufacturing cost of the dominant photovoltaic technology based on c-Si solar cells has recently reached a plateau. Further reduction in LCOE is only possible by increasing the efficiency and/or reliability of c-Si cells. Among alternate technologies, organic photovoltaics (OPV) has reduced manufacturing cost, but they do not offer any LCOE gain because their lifetime and efficiency are significantly lower than c-Si. Recently, perovskite solar cells have showed promising results in terms of both cost and efficiency, but their reliability/stability is still a concern and the physical origin of the efficiency gain is not fully understood.</div><div><br></div>In this work, we have collaborated with scientists industry and academia to explain the origin of the increased cell efficiency of bulk solution-processed perovskite cells. We also explored the possibility of enhancing the efficiency of the c-Si and perovskite cells by using them in a tandem configuration. To improve the intrinsic reliability, we have investigated 2D-perovskite cells with slightly lower efficiency but longer lifetime. We interpreted the behavior of the 2D-perovskite cells using randomly stacked quantum wells in the absorber region. We studied the reliability issues of c-Si modules and correlated series resistance of the modules directly to the solder bond failure. We also found out that finger thinning of the contacts at cell level manifests as a fake shunt resistance but is distinguishable from real shunt resistance by exploring the reverse bias or efficiency vs. irradiance. Then we proposed a physics-based model to predict the energy yield and lifetime of a module that suffers from solder bond failure using real field data by considering the statistical nature of the failure at module level. This model is part of a more comprehensive model that can predict the lifetime of a module that suffers from more degradation mechanisms such as yellowing, potential induced degradation, corrosion, soiling, delamination, etc. simultaneously. This method is called forward modeling since we start from environmental data and initial information of the module, and then predict the lifetime and time-dependent energy yield of a solar cell technology. As the future work, we will use our experience in forward modeling to deconvolve the reliability issues of a module that is fielded since each mechanism has a different electrical signature. Then by calibrating the forward model, we can predict the remaining lifetime of the fielded module. This work opens new pathways to achieve 2030 Sunshot goals of LCOE below 3c/kWh by predicting the lifetime that the product can be guaranteed, helping financial institutions regarding the risk of their investment, or national laboratories to redefine the qualification and reliability protocols.<br>