One-pot synthesis Pr6O11 decorated Pr2CuO4 composite cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

It is a big challenge to develop composite materials with high catalytic activity and stability in a fast and simple way in the field of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this paper, Pr 2 CuO 4 -Pr 6 O 11 composites are prepared by a novel one-pot synthesis method. The temperature dependent phase evolution of the composite material is studied, and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) properties are characterized in detail by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy combining with the distribution of relaxation time analysis. The decoration of Pr 6 O 11 effectively inhibits the coarsening of Pr 2 CuO 4 particles, enlarging the specific surface area and thereby promoting the oxygen adsorption capability of the composite cathode. Compared to Pr 2 CuO 4 , the polarization resistance of Pr 2 CuO 4 -20%Pr 6 O 11 is 0.07 Ω cm 2 at 700 °C, and the power (current) density reachs to 0.97 W cm −2 (1.62 A cm −2 ) at 0.6 V for the anode supported fuel cell. This result proves that one-pot synthesis method is an effective strategy to design cathode materials with high activity, and Pr 2 CuO 4 -20%Pr 6 O 11 is potential cathode material for SOFC. • Pr 6 O 11 decorated Pr 2 CuO 4 heterogeneous structure is realized by one-pot synthesis strategy. • 20PPCO cathode exhibits the ASR of 0.07 Ω cm 2 and the PPD of 1.07W.cm −2 at 700 °C. • The reaction rate limiting step is identified as oxygen dissociation process.