Ni-doped Fe-based perovskite to obtain multifunctional and highly efficient electrocatalytic active IT-SOFC electrode

This paper systematically studies Ni doping at Fe sites in La0.6Sr0.4Co0.3Fe0.7O3-δ (LSCF) as an intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) electrode. The electrocatalytic activity of Ni-doped electrodes in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) modes was analyzed, rather than individual cathode or anode. The results indicate that Ni doping increases the internal vacancies, ORR activity, and charge transfer ability of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.3Fe0.6Ni0.15O3-δ (LSCFN15). In addition, compared to LSCF, LSCFN15 also reduces the energy barriers for surface oxygen exchange and bulk diffusion, thereby increasing the overall ORR kinetic rate. Combined with the distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analysis, it was confirmed that Ni-doped LSCFN15 increased the adsorption and dissociation rates of oxygen. At 750 ℃, the area-specific resistance (ASR) of LSCFN15 reached 0.045 Ω cm2, which is only 58.4 % of LSCF (0.077 Ω cm2). As a SOFC cathode, the peak power density (PPD) reached 1175 mW cm−2, 1.31 times that of LSCF (898 mW cm−2). As a SOFC anode, the current exchange density of LSCFN15 in OER mode reaches 164 mA cm−2, which is higher than the 125 mA cm−2 of LSCF, indicating that LSCFN15 also has the potential to serve as an anode for SOFC. In addition, Ni doping reduces the thermal expansion coefficient of the electrode and improves its thermal compatibility with traditional electrolytes. As an electrode, LSCFN15 exhibits excellent long-term stability in both SOFC and SOEC modes. Overall, Ni-doped Fe-based perovskite can improve the ORR and OER activities while enhancing the stability of cell operation and is expected to obtain multifunctional SOFC electrode materials.