{
  "abstract": "Solid oxide steam electrolysis offers the highest electrical efficiency for hydrogen production, yet wide-scale deployment remains constrained by durability. Here, we show that long-term stack durability can be strongly influenced by operating strategy, achieving 25,000 h of steam electrolysis operation in a full 70-cell solid oxide electrolysis cell stack under frequency-dependent electrochemical operation (AC:DC). This experiment represents, to our knowledge, the longest and lowest degradation operation reported for a full stack. The stack enters a stabilized regime with an average voltage degradation rate of 0.05 % kh⁻¹ (0.65 mV kh⁻¹ per cell) sustained for 22,000 h after initial conditioning. The behavior is evaluated against initial DC operation, prior full-stack benchmarks, impedance evolution, and post-test microstructural signatures. Periodic polarity inversion between electrolysis and fuel-cell modes modulates electrochemical polarization and heat generation, consistent with mitigating thermal and electrochemical gradients that develop during sustained DC electrolysis. Stack-level impedance evolution and post-mortem microstructural analysis demonstrate stabilization of electrochemical performance and suppression of degradation signatures commonly observed under DC operation, indicating that key degradation pathways are not activated under AC:DC operation. By shifting durability control from materials to operational strategy, AC:DC operation offers a scalable pathway toward long-lived solid oxide electrolysis for economically competitive green hydrogen production.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "DTU Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark",
    "DynElectro ApS. Syvvejen 10, Viby Sjælland, Denmark",
    "SolydEra SpA, Mezzolombardo, Italy",
    "SolydEra SA, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland",
    "Department of Energy, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Vasileios Bilalis",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7689-6374"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Olivia Fjord Sloth"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Erik Lyck Smitshuysen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5025-4509"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Javid Beyrami"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marie Lund Traulsen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Martin Nørby Nielsen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Dario Montinaro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jan Pieter Ouweltjes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Henrik Lund Frandsen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ming Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6387-3739"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mogens Bjerg Mogensen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0902-0580"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Søren Højgaard Jensen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8418-1408"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vincenzo Esposito",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9817-7810"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bzvd3n7ekkswq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696718/",
  "id": "bzvd3n7ekkswq",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214188470",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13696718?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696718",
  "pmid": "42928371",
  "published": "2026-09-24",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bzvd3n7ekkswq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:01Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13696718",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78001-1"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:18Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42928371",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928371"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells",
      "subfield": "electrochemistry-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Record stack durability in industrial solid oxide steam electrolysis through operational control",
  "title_text": "Record stack durability in industrial solid oxide steam electrolysis through operational control",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:00Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bzvd3n7ekkswq",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}