Abstract
Proton-conducting oxides offer a promising electrolyte solution for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to their high conductivity and low activation energy. However, the lower operation temperature leads to a reduced cathode activity and thus a poorer fuel cell performance. La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ (LSM) is the classical cathode material for high-temperature SOFCs, which lack features as a proper SOFC cathode material at intermediate temperatures. Despite this, we here successfully couple nanostructured LSM cathode with proton-conducting electrolytes to operate below 600°C with desirable SOFC performance. Inkjet printing allows depositing nanostructured particles of LSM on Y-doped BaZrO3 (BZY) backbones as cathodes for proton-conducting SOFCs, which provides one of the highest power output for the BZY-based fuel cells below 600°C. This somehow changes the common knowledge that LSM can be applied as a SOFC cathode materials only at high temperatures (above 700°C).
摘要
质子导体氧化物因其高导电性和低活化能, 成为一种很有前途的中温固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFCs)电解质材料. 然而, 较低的操作温度会降低阴极活性, 从而降低燃料电池的性能. La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ (LSM)是一种经典的高温SOFCs阴极材料, 但其很多特性不符合中温SOFCs阴极材料的要求. 针对这一问题, 我们成功将纳米化的LSM阴极和质子导体电解质结合在一起, 在600°C下运行, 获得了理想的电池性能. 喷墨印刷技术可以将LSM的纳米结构粒子构筑在Y-掺杂的BaZrO3(BZY)骨架上, 从而作为质子导体SOFCs的阴极. 以此为阴极的单电池成为600°C以下的BZY基燃料电池中输出功率最高的之一. 本工作也打破了LSM只能作为高温SOFCs阴极材料(超过700°C)的传统思维局限.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51602238) and the Thousand Talents Plan.
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Author contributions Daʹas EH performed most of the experiments under the supervision of Boulfrad S (materials ink-jet processing) and Bi L (electrochemical measurements). Bi L and Traversa E conceived and directed the project, and wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Supplementary information Supplementary data are available in the online version of the paper.
Eman Husni Daʹas received her PhD in materials science and engineering from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2015. During her PhD, she developed a scalable and controllable impregnation method for solid oxide cells (SOCs) air electrodes through applying inkjet-impregnation process. In 2016, Eman joined Dr. Ayman Al Qattan’s group as a consultant at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). Her main focus is investigating the performance and the applicability of solar-thermal collectors in the harsh environment of Kuwait.
Lei Bi is a professor at Qingdao University. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2009. From 2009, he was a postdoc at NIMS, Japan, and research scientist at KAUST, Saudi Arabia. His research focuses on the development of key materials for solid oxide fuel/electrolysis cells, in particular using proton-conducting oxides.
Samir Boulfrad received his PhD in materials science and engineering from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France, in 2007. From 2007 to 2010, he was a research fellow at the University of St. Andrews, UK, and from 2010 to 2015 at KAUST, Saudi Arabia. He is currently the manager of the Energy Sustainability Laboratory in the College of Science & Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar. His research interests are in solid-state electrochemical methods for energy conversion and storage, with main focus in advanced electrode microstructures for SOFCs & SOECs.
Enrico Traversa is a National 1000-Talent Distinguished Professor at the School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu. He received his “Laurea” (Italian doctoral degree) from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1986. He joined the University of Rome Tor Vergata in 1988, where he has been a professor of materials science and technology since 2000. His research interests are in the nanostructured materials for environment, energy, and healthcare, with special attention to sustainable development. He is the author of more than 500 scientific papers and his ISI H-index is 59.
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Nanostructuring the electronic conducting La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ cathode for high-performance in proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells below 600°C
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Daʹas, E.H., Bi, L., Boulfrad, S. et al. Nanostructuring the electronic conducting La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ cathode for high-performance in proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells below 600°C. Sci. China Mater. 61, 57–64 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-017-9125-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-017-9125-1