Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are emerging as pivotal technologies for a low-carbon energy system, offering a rare ability to both generate electricity and store energy within a single reversible platform. Recent advances reveal how innovations in materials design, electrochemical mechanisms, and system-level integration are converging to overcome long-standing efficiency and durability barriers. By connecting atomic-scale ion transport with stack-level thermal and mechanical management, researchers are redefining how solid oxide technologies can operate reliably under harsh conditions. This integrated perspective highlights new pathways to enhance performance, extend operational lifetimes, and accelerate the transition from laboratory breakthroughs to scalable clean-energy solutions.
As global energy demand rises and decarbonization accelerates, technologies that can flexibly convert and store energy are increasingly critical. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) efficiently transform chemical fuels into electricity, while solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) convert electrical energy into hydrogen or synthetic fuels. Despite decades of research, high operating temperatures, material degradation, and complex system integration have limited large-scale deployment. Most previous studies have addressed these challenges in isolation, focusing either on materials or device performance. Based on these challenges, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research that links materials, mechanisms, and system integration into a unified framework.
Researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University and Fuzhou University reported a comprehensive review in eScience , published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2025.100460) online on March 2026, examining recent progress in SOFCs and SOECs. The study synthesizes developments spanning materials synthesis, electrochemical mechanisms, and system-level integration, offering a rare whole-chain perspective. By systematically connecting microscopic ion transport with macroscopic device architecture, the authors provide a roadmap for designing more efficient, durable, and scalable solid oxide energy systems.
The review reveals that performance improvements in solid oxide cells depend on coordinated advances across multiple length scales. At the materials level, innovations such as high-entropy doping and tailored perovskite architectures have significantly enhanced ionic conductivity and catalytic activity while improving thermal compatibility. These advances directly influence fundamental electrochemical processes, including oxygen-ion and proton transport, interfacial reactions, and charge transfer at triple-phase boundaries.
Crucially, the review emphasizes system integration as a decisive bottleneck. Thermal management, fluid dynamics, and mechanical stress control are shown to directly affect long-term stability and efficiency. By adopting a "reverse-guided" strategy—where system requirements inform materials selection—the study proposes a more efficient research paradigm. This integrated approach moves beyond incremental optimization, offering a cohesive framework for aligning materials innovation with real-world operational demands.
"Solid oxide technologies have long been studied in fragments—materials here, systems there," the authors note. "What has been missing is a unified perspective that connects these elements into a coherent design logic." According to the team, linking ion-scale mechanisms with stack-level engineering is essential for overcoming durability and cost barriers. They emphasize that future breakthroughs are unlikely to come from single-component improvements, but rather from coordinated advances that consider the entire operating environment of solid oxide devices.
By unifying power generation and energy storage, advanced SOFCs and SOECs could play a central role in renewable-energy infrastructures, hydrogen production, and carbon-neutral fuel synthesis. The insights outlined in this review provide practical guidance for developing systems capable of long-term, stable operation under industrial conditions. More broadly, the whole-chain design philosophy may accelerate commercialization by reducing trial-and-error development cycles. As renewable electricity becomes more abundant, reversible solid oxide technologies could serve as a critical bridge between electrical grids and chemical energy carriers, enabling more resilient and flexible clean-energy systems worldwide.
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Contact the author:
Name: Editorial Office of eScience
Email: eScience@nankai.edu.cn
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eScience
A review of advanced SOFCs and SOECs: Materials, innovative synthesis, functional mechanisms, and system integration