In-Situ Synthesis of Sm_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.5O_3-δ@Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 Composite Oxygen Electrode for Electrolyte-Supported Reversible Solid Oxide Cells (RSOC)

Oxygen electrode has a crucial impact on the performance of reversible solid oxide cells (RSOC), especially in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode. Herein, Sm0.5Sr0.5Co0.5O3-δ@Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (5SSC@5SDC) composite material has been fabricated by the in-situ synthesis method and applied as the oxygen electrode for RSOCs with scandium stabilized zirconia (SSZ) electrolyte.

The phase structures, thermal expansion coefficients, and micromorphologies of 5SSC@5SDC have all been further analyzed and discussed. 5SSC@5SDC is composed of a skeleton with large SDC particles in the diameter range of 200~300 nm and many fine SSC nanoparticles coated on the skeleton. Thanks to the special microstructure of 5SSC@5SDC, the electrolyte-supported RSOC with SSC@SDC oxygen electrode shows a polarization resistance of only 0.69 Ω·cm2 and a peak power density of 0.49 W·cm−2 at 800°C with hydrogen as the fuel in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode.

In addition, the electrolysis current density of RSOC with SSC@SDC can reach 0.40 A·cm−2 at 1.30 V in SOEC model, being much higher than that with the SSC-SDC (SSC and SDC composite prepared by physical mixing). RSOC with 5SSC@5SDC shows an improved stability in SOEC model comparing with that with SSC-SDC.

The improved performance indicates that 5SSC@5SDC prepared by the in-situ synthesis may be a promising candidate for RSOC oxygen electrode.