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Preparation of La2NiO4+δ powders as a cathode material for SOFC via a PVP-assisted hydrothermal route

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Abstract

Uniform submicron La2NiO4+δ (sm-LNO) powders have been synthesized by a facile polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted hydrothermal route. In the presence of PVP, sm-LNO of pure phase has been obtained by calcination at the relatively low temperature of 900 °C for 8 h. Compared micron-sized LNO (m-LNO) particles obtained at 1,000 °C by hydrothermal synthesis route without PVP assisted, the sm-LNO-PVP displays regularly shaped and well-distributed particles in the range of 0.3–0.5 μm. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the sm-LNO sample is submicronic and that the m-LNO sample shows agglomerates with a broad size distribution. The electrochemical performance of m-LNO and sm-LNO-PVP has been investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The polarization resistance of the sm-LNO-PVP cathode reaches a value of 0.40 Ω cm2 at 750 °C, which is lower than that of m-LNO (0.62 Ω cm2). This result indicates that a fine electrode microstructure with submicron particles can help to increase the active sites, accelerate oxygen diffusion, and reduce polarization resistance. An anode-supported single cell with sm-LNO cathode has been fabricated and tested over a temperature range from 650 to 800 °C. The maximum power density of the cell has achieved 834 mW cm−2 at 750 °C. These results therefore show that this PVP-assisted hydrothermal method is an effective approach to construct submicron-structured cathode and enhance the performance of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21376001) and the Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project (YETP1205).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Laboratory for Chemical Power Source and Green Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Environment, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongliang Lou, Xiaoming Hao, Jun Peng, Zhenhua Wang & Kening Sun

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK

    David Rooney

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  1. Zhongliang Lou
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  2. Xiaoming Hao
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  3. Jun Peng
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  4. Zhenhua Wang
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  6. Kening Sun
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Correspondence to Zhenhua Wang or Kening Sun.

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Lou, Z., Hao, X., Peng, J. et al. Preparation of La2NiO4+δ powders as a cathode material for SOFC via a PVP-assisted hydrothermal route. J Solid State Electrochem 19, 957–965 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-014-2667-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-014-2667-9

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