Improvement CO2 Electrocatalytic Activity of LCTN Fuel Electrode for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells via an Electro-Reduction Activation Strategy

Perovskite oxides are widely used as electrodes in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) due to their good performance and structural stability. In the meantime, surface modification can promote adsorption and activation, which will significantly improve the catalytic activity of perovskite. Herein, an electro-reduction activation strategy is attempted to activate the electrochemical activity of A-site deficiency La 0.43 Ca 0.37 Ti 0.9 Ni 0.1 O 3- γ (LCTN) perovskite as fuel electrode of SOEC for CO 2 electrolysis. The results confirm that more adsorption and activation sites can be produced on the surface of LCTN after electro-reduction treatment. Under an electro-reduction voltage of 2.8 V in N 2 , the polarization impedance of LCTN can be reduced from 0.859 to 0.208 Ω·cm 2 at 1.3 V and 800 °C for CO 2 electrolysis. And the cell with LCTN fuel electrode shows stable long-term performance for CO 2 electrolysis with a current density of 450 mA cm −2 in nearly 100 h at 1.4 V and 800 °C. This work provides a possibility for facile and fast electrode optimization strategy for SOEC.