High-temperature electrolysis cells (SOECs) enable hydrogen production with high efficiency, but their operating temperature (700–800°C) leads to accelerated degradation. Protonic ceramic cells (PCCs) represent a promising alternative, operating at 300–400°C with high theoretical performance. However, their development faces a major bottleneck: the instability of the BaCeZrYO3-d (BCZY) electrolyte during conventional sintering at 1500°C, which causes Ba evaporation, Y segregation at grain boundaries, and an increase in ohmic resistance, all of which degrade cell performance.

RAPIDCELL project aims to leverage two ultrafast sintering techniques — photonic flash light annealing (FLA) and microwave-assisted sintering (MWA) — to densify the BCZY electrolyte at low temperature (<450°C). To date, no study has documented their combined impact on chemistry (Ba, Y), microstructure, and the performance of the co-sintered H2 electrode. The project addresses these challenges by combining BCZY synthesis, FLA/MWA parameter optimization, and multi-scale characterization (SEM-EDS, XRD, impedance spectroscopy). The most promising solution will be validated on a commercial-scale cell (100 cm²). RAPIDCELL thus opens perspectives for high-impact applications: reversible PCCs, co-electrolysis, and NH3 synthesis.