Self-recovery of Pd nanoparticles that were dispersed over La(Sr)Fe(Mn)O3 for intelligent oxide anodes of solid-oxide fuel cells

Abstract

Self-recovery is one of the most-desirable properties for functional materials. Recently, oxide anodes have attracted significant attention as alternative anode materials for solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) that can overcome reoxidation, deactivation, and coke-deposition. However, the electrical conductivity and surface activity of the most-widely used oxide anodes remain unsatisfactory. Herein, we report the synthesis of an "intelligent oxide anode" that exhibits self-recovery from power-density degradation in the redox cycle by using a Pd-doped La(Sr)Fe-(Mn)O(3) cell as an oxide anode for the SOFCs. We investigated the anodic performance and oxidation-tolerance of the cell by using Pd-doped perovskite as an anode and fairly high maximum power densities of 0.5 and 0.1 W cm(-2) were achieved at 1073 and 873 K, respectively, despite using a 0.3 mm-thick electrolyte. Long-term stability was also examined and the power density was recovered upon exposure of the anode to air. This recovery of the power density can be explained by the formation of Pd nanoparticles, which were self-recovered through reoxidation and reduction. In addition, the self-recovery of the anode by oxidation was confirmed by XRD and SEM and this process was effective for improving the durability of SOFC systems when they were exposed to severe operating conditions.