A Superior Catalytic Air Electrode with Temperature-Induced Exsolution toward Protonic Ceramic Cells.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38285914.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.3c12609.
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Abstract
Protonic ceramic cells merit extensive exploration, attributed to their innate capabilities for potent and environmentally benign energy conversion. In this work, a temperature-induced exsolution methodology to synthesize SrCo<sub>0.5</sub>Nb<sub>0.5</sub>O<sub>3-δ</sub> (SCN) nanoparticles (NPs) with notably elevated activity on the surface of PrSrCo<sub>1.8</sub>Nb<sub>0.2</sub>O<sub>6-δ</sub> (PSCN) is proposed, directly addressing the extant challenge of restrained catalytic activity prevalent in air electrode materials. In situ assessments reveal that SCN NPs commence exsolution from the matrix at temperatures surpassing 900 °C during straightforward calcination processes and maintain stability throughout annealing. Notably, the resultant SCN-PSCN interface facilitates vapor adsorption and protonation processes, which are poised to enhance surface reaction kinetics pertaining to the proton-involved oxygen reduction and evolution reaction (P-ORR and P-OER). A fuel-electrode-supported protonic ceramic cell leveraging SCN-PSCN as the air electrode manifests compelling performance, attaining a peak power density of 1.30 W·cm<sup>-2</sup> in the fuel cell modality and a current density of 1.91 A·cm<sup>-2</sup> at 1.3 V in the electrolysis mode, recorded at 650 °C. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations validate that the introduction of SCN NPs onto the PSCN surface conspicuously accelerates electrode reaction rates correlated with P-ORR and P-OER, by significantly mitigating energy barriers associated with surface oxygen and vapor dissociation.