Production of high efficiency renewable energy source for sustainable global development is an important challenge for humans. Hydrogen energy systems are one of the key elements for the development of sustainable energy future. These systems are eco-friendly and include devices such as protonic ceramic fuel cells, which require advanced proton-conducting materials. In this study, we focused on new ceramics with significantly improved target properties for hydrogen energy purposes. Neodymium-doped phase based on layered perovskite BaLaInO4 was obtained for the first time. The ability for water intercalation and proton transport was proved. It was shown that the composition BaLa0.9Nd0.1InO4 is the predominant proton conductor below 400 °C under wet air. Moreover, isovalent doping of layered perovskites AA'BO4 is the promising method for improving transport properties and obtaining novel advanced proton-conducting ceramic materials.
Keywords: BaLaInO4; Ruddlesden-Popper structure; layered perovskite; proton conductivity; solid oxide fuel cell.