A strategy for achieving high performance and durability of double perovskite cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been researched as new power generation devices on the basis of their high conversion efficiency, low emissions, and excellent fuel flexibility. The requirement for high operating temperature (800-1000 oC) of conventional SOFCs, however, leads to notable problems such as high costs and high rate of degradation due to the interactions between cell components during cell fabrication and/or operation. To overcome these problems, researchers have strived to lower the SOFC operating temperature toward an intermediate-temperature (IT) range (500-700 oC). One of the challenges for IT-SOFCs, however, is to develop cathode materials with sufficiently high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction. Intensive research has thus been carried out to explore alternative cathode materials that achieve superior and stable electrochemical performance. This dissertation focuses on the latter one with the aim to study a new cathode material for IT-SOFC applications. These materials thus can be presented as a promising IT-SOFC cathode material with remarkably stable performance and high power output.