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High‐Performance Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with an Electrochemically Surface‐Tailored Oxygen Electrode
Author(s) -
Park BeomKyeong,
Lee SeungBok,
Lim TakHyoung,
Song RakHyun,
Lee JongWon
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201800962
Subject(s) - materials science , cathode , yttria stabilized zirconia , chemical engineering , oxide , anode , electrochemistry , electrode , solid oxide fuel cell , nanoparticle , oxygen , annealing (glass) , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , composite material , cubic zirconia , metallurgy , chemistry , ceramic , organic chemistry , engineering
State‐of‐the‐art cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), such as (La,Sr)MnO 3 –(Y 2 O 3 ) 0.08 (ZrO 2 ) 0.92 (LSM–YSZ), suffer from sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at reduced temperatures, leading to a significant decline in their performance. Herein, we report a tailored SOFC cathode with high ORR activity at intermediate temperatures using a simple but effective approach based on “electrochemical” surface modification. The proposed process involves chemically assisted electrodeposition (CAED) of a metal hydroxide (LaCo(OH) x ) on LSM–YSZ surfaces followed by in situ thermal conversion of LaCo(OH) x to perovskite‐type LaCoO 3 (LCO) nanoparticles during the SOFC startup. This method facilitates easy loading of the LCO nanoparticles with a precisely controlled morphology without the need for repeated deposition/annealing processes. An anode‐supported SOFC with the LCO‐tailored LSM–YSZ electrode exhibits a remarkably increased power density, approximately 180 % at 700 °C, compared with an SOFC with the pristine electrode as well as excellent long‐term stability, which are attributed to the beneficial role of the CAED‐derived LCO nanoparticles in enlarging the active areas for ORR and promoting oxygen adsorption/diffusion. This work demonstrates that controlled surface tailoring of the cathode by CAED could be an effective approach for improving the performance of SOFCs at reduced temperatures.