Enhancing ORR Catalytic Activity and Electrochemical Investigation of La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] Cathode for Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

• Published in: Crystals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 5
• Main Authors: Shaheen, Nusrat, Chen, Zheng, Nong, Yumei, Su, Tao, Yousaf, Muhammad, Lu, Yuzheng, Li, Ling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Electrochemistry; Fuel cell industry; Fuel cells; Hydrogen as fuel; Iron oxides; Perovskite; China
• ISSN: 2073-4352; 2073-4352
• DOI: 10.3390/cryst13050822

Perovskite cathodes have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional cathode materials in low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs) due to their exceptional catalytic properties and high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Their fast catalytic activity and chemical stability have drawn significant attention to lowering the operating temperature of SOFCs. In this study, Ba[sup.2+] and Bi[sup.3+] are doped into LaFeO[sub.3]. The aim is to investigate the catalytic activity and electrochemical performance of LT-SOFCs. The presented cathode material is characterized in terms of phase structure, surface morphology, and interface studies before being applied as a cathode in SOFCs to measure electrochemical performance. The XPS study revealed that La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] (x = 0.1) exhibits enriched surface oxygen vacancies compared to La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] (x = 0.2). La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] with (x = 0.1 and 0.2) delivers a peak power density of 665 and 545 mW cm[sup.−2] at 550 °C, respectively. Moreover, impedance spectra confirmed that La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] with x = 0.1 exhibits lower electrode polarization resistance (0.33 Ω cm[sup.2]) compared to La[sub.1−2x]Ba[sub.x]Bi[sub.x]FeO[sub.3] with x = 0.2 (0.57 Ω cm[sup.2]) at 550 °C. Our findings thus confirm that LBBF cathode-based SOFCs can be considered a potential cathode to operate fuel cells at low temperatures, and it will open up another horizon in the subject of research.