Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles
Solar fuels production requires developing redox active materials with porous structures able to withstand thermochemical cycles with enhanced thermal stability under concentrated solar irradiation conditions. The mechanical performance of 3D-printed, macroporous black zirconia gyroid structures, co...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Fernando A. Costa Oliveira Manuel Sardinha Joaquim M. Justino Netto Miguel Farinha Marco Leite M. Alexandra Barreiros Stéphane Abanades Jorge Cruz Fernandes |
| author_facet | Fernando A. Costa Oliveira Manuel Sardinha Joaquim M. Justino Netto Miguel Farinha Marco Leite M. Alexandra Barreiros Stéphane Abanades Jorge Cruz Fernandes |
| author_sort | Fernando A. Costa Oliveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar fuels production requires developing redox active materials with porous structures able to withstand thermochemical cycles with enhanced thermal stability under concentrated solar irradiation conditions. The mechanical performance of 3D-printed, macroporous black zirconia gyroid structures, coated with redox-active ceria, was assessed for their suitability in solar thermochemical cycles for CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O splitting. Experiments were conducted using a 1.5 kW solar furnace to supply the high-temperature concentrated heat to a windowed reaction chamber to carry out thermal redox cycling under realistic on-sun conditions. The ceria coating on ceramic structures improved the thermal stability and redox efficiency while minimizing the quantity of the redox material involved. Crushing strength measurements showed that samples not directly exposed to the concentrated solar flux retained their mechanical performance after thermal cycling (~10 MPa), while those near the concentrated solar beam focus exhibited significant degradation due to thermal stresses and the formation of Ce<sub>x</sub>Zr<sub>1−x</sub>O<sub>2</sub> solid solutions (~1.5 MPa). A Weibull modulus of 8.5 was estimated, marking the first report of such a parameter for fused filament fabrication (FFF)-manufactured black zirconia with gyroid architecture. Failure occurred via a damage accumulation mechanism at both micro- and macro-scales. These findings support the viability of ceria-coated cellular ceramics for scalable solar fuel production and highlight the need for optimized reactor designs. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
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| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e5e596ca2e2045be9793b6ad6ab88db92025-08-20T02:45:38ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522025-07-0115762910.3390/cryst15070629Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production CyclesFernando A. Costa Oliveira0Manuel Sardinha1Joaquim M. Justino Netto2Miguel Farinha3Marco Leite4M. Alexandra Barreiros5Stéphane Abanades6Jorge Cruz Fernandes7UME—Unidade de Materiais para a Energia, LEN—Laboratório de Energia, LNEG—Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia I.P., Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, PortugalIDMEC—Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalIDMEC—Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalIDMEC—Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalIDMEC—Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalUME—Unidade de Materiais para a Energia, LEN—Laboratório de Energia, LNEG—Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia I.P., Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, PortugalPROMES—Processes, Materials, and Solar Energy Laboratory, CNRS—National Center for Scientific Research, 7 Rue du Four Solaire, Odeillo, 66120 Font-Romeu, FranceIDMEC—Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalSolar fuels production requires developing redox active materials with porous structures able to withstand thermochemical cycles with enhanced thermal stability under concentrated solar irradiation conditions. The mechanical performance of 3D-printed, macroporous black zirconia gyroid structures, coated with redox-active ceria, was assessed for their suitability in solar thermochemical cycles for CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O splitting. Experiments were conducted using a 1.5 kW solar furnace to supply the high-temperature concentrated heat to a windowed reaction chamber to carry out thermal redox cycling under realistic on-sun conditions. The ceria coating on ceramic structures improved the thermal stability and redox efficiency while minimizing the quantity of the redox material involved. Crushing strength measurements showed that samples not directly exposed to the concentrated solar flux retained their mechanical performance after thermal cycling (~10 MPa), while those near the concentrated solar beam focus exhibited significant degradation due to thermal stresses and the formation of Ce<sub>x</sub>Zr<sub>1−x</sub>O<sub>2</sub> solid solutions (~1.5 MPa). A Weibull modulus of 8.5 was estimated, marking the first report of such a parameter for fused filament fabrication (FFF)-manufactured black zirconia with gyroid architecture. Failure occurred via a damage accumulation mechanism at both micro- and macro-scales. These findings support the viability of ceria-coated cellular ceramics for scalable solar fuel production and highlight the need for optimized reactor designs.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/7/629thermochemical cyclesolar fuelscellular materials3D printingfused filament fabricationblack zirconia |
| spellingShingle | Fernando A. Costa Oliveira Manuel Sardinha Joaquim M. Justino Netto Miguel Farinha Marco Leite M. Alexandra Barreiros Stéphane Abanades Jorge Cruz Fernandes Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles Crystals thermochemical cycle solar fuels cellular materials 3D printing fused filament fabrication black zirconia |
| title | Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles |
| title_full | Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles |
| title_fullStr | Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles |
| title_short | Mechanical Performance of Ceria-Coated 3D-Printed Black Zirconia Cellular Structures After Solar Thermochemical CO/H<sub>2</sub> Fuel Production Cycles |
| title_sort | mechanical performance of ceria coated 3d printed black zirconia cellular structures after solar thermochemical co h sub 2 sub fuel production cycles |
| topic | thermochemical cycle solar fuels cellular materials 3D printing fused filament fabrication black zirconia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/7/629 |
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