Micromonolithic Electrochemical Cells for Sustainable Syngas Production from H2O and CO2

The direct conversion of CO2, preferably from direct air capture (DAC), and H2O from seawater to syngas by renewable electricity, offers an alternative route toward a sustainable future for the chemical industry. To achieve this ambitious goal, an efficient electrochemical conversion route is preferred. However, high-performance and cost-effective devices for achieving such sustainable production are lacking. Here, we report an innovative micromonolithic solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) device with a productivity of −2.4 A/cm2 at 1.4 V and an operational stability of ∼ −1.0 A/cm2 (−11.7 A/cm3, 4387 N m3syngas/h/m3) for 110 h; this device has an almost 1 order of magnitude greater cost-effectiveness and has substantial environmental benefits compared to conventional tubular and planar designs. The conceptual process design of prospective sustainable electrified syngas production has the potential to achieve 0.1 $/Nm3syngas and −0.92 kgCO2/kgsyngas. Moreover, microstructural sensitivity, three-stage degradation mechanism, and mechanical features of the cell are studied to provide deep insights.