Electrochemical performance of mixed ionic–electronic conducting oxides as anodes for solid oxide fuel cell

Mixed ionic–electronic conducting (MIEC) oxides, SrFeCo_0.5O_x, SrCo_0.8Fe_0.2O_3−δ and La_0.6Sr_0.4Fe_0.8Co_0.2O_3−δ have been synthesized and prepared on yttria-stabilized zirconia as anodes for solid oxide fuel cells. Power output measurements show that the anodes composed of such kinds of oxides exhibit modest electrochemical activities to both H₂ and CH₄ fuels, giving maximum power densities of around 0.1 W/cm² at 950°C. Polarization and AC impedance measurements found that large activation overpotentials and ohmic resistance drops were the main causes for the relative inferior performance to the Ni-YSZ anode. While interlayered with an Ni-YSZ anode, a significant improvement in the electrochemical performance was observed. In particular, for the SrFeCo_0.5O_x oxide interlayered Ni-YSZ anode, the maximum power output reaches 0.25 W/cm² on CH₄, exceeding those of both SrFeCo_0.5O_x and the Ni-YSZ, as anodes alone. A synergetic effect of SrFeCo_0.5O_x and the Ni-YSZ has been observed. Future work is needed to examine the long-term stability of MIEC oxide electrodes under a very reducing environment.