Platinum‐Decorated Ceria Enhances CO 2 Electroreduction in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

CO 2 electroreduction by solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) can not only attenuate the greenhouse effect, but also convert surplus electrical energy into chemical energy. The adsorption and activation of CO 2 on the cathode play an important role in the SOEC performance. La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3− δ −Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2− δ (LSCF–SDC; SDC=samarium‐doped ceria) is a promising SOEC cathode. However, its electrocatalytic activity still needs to be improved. In this study, Pt/SDC interfaces are constructed by decorating Pt nanoparticles onto the SDC surface. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the polarization resistance of the SOEC is decreased from 0.308 to 0.120 Ω cm 2 , and the current density is improved from 0.913 to 1.420 A cm −2 at 1.6 V and 800 °C. Physicochemical characterizations suggest that construction of the Pt/SDC interfaces increases the oxygen vacancy concentration on the cathode and boosts CO 2 adsorption and dissociation, which leads to enhanced CO 2 electroreduction performance in SOECs.