A Sr and Ni doped Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite oxide La1.6Sr0.4Cu0.6Ni0.4O4+δ as a promising cathode for protonic ceramic fuel cells

The performance of a protonic ceramic fuel cell (PCFC) is greatly limited by the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of cathode under realistic operation conditions. In this study, we report a Sr and Ni dual doped Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite oxide La1.6Sr0.4Cu0.6Ni0.4O4+delta (LSCN) with an improved electrochemical performance. LSCN demonstrates rich oxygen vacancies on the surface, and a good chemical/thermal compatibility with electrolyte, as confirmed by the analyses of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and thermal expansion coefficient. A Ni-BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3 anode supported cell with LSCN cathode typically demonstrate a peak power density of 1020 mWcm(-2) and a polarization resistance of 0.062 Omega cm(2) at 750 degrees C using wet H-2 (3% H2O) as fuel and air as oxidant. In addition, the cells show no observable morphology change or voltage degradation at a constant current density (0.5A cm(-2)) and at 650 degrees C within a period of 100 h, suggesting that LSCN is a promising cathode material for PCFC.

Automated summary

This study presents a Sr and Ni dual doped Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite oxide, La1.6Sr0.4Cu0.6Ni0.4O4+delta (LSCN), with rich oxygen vacancies and good chemical/thermal compatibility with the electrolyte. The LSCN cathode showed promising electrochemical performance with peak power density of 1020 mWcm(-2) and excellent stability at 750 degrees C over a period of 100 hours, making it a potential cathode material for protonic ceramic fuel cells.