Shaping triple-conducting semiconductor BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.1Y0.1O3-δ into an electrolyte for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Chen Xia; Youquan Mi; Baoyuan Wang; Bin Lin; Gang Chen; Bin Zhu

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09532-z

Shaping triple-conducting semiconductor BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ into an electrolyte for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Nat Commun. 2019 Apr 12;10(1):1707. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09532-z.

Authors

Chen Xia^{1

2

3}, Youquan Mi¹, Baoyuan Wang⁴, Bin Lin⁵, Gang Chen⁶, Bin Zhu^{7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Ferro and Piezoelectric Materials and Devices of Hubei Province, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Science, Hubei University, 430062, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
² Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, China.
³ Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Ferro and Piezoelectric Materials and Devices of Hubei Province, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Science, Hubei University, 430062, Wuhan, Hubei, China. baoyuanw@163.com.
⁵ School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 611731, Chengdu, China.
⁶ Liaoning Key Laboratory for Metallurgical Sensor and Technology, Northeastern University, 110819, Shenyang, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Ferro and Piezoelectric Materials and Devices of Hubei Province, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Science, Hubei University, 430062, Wuhan, Hubei, China. zhubin@hubu.edu.cn.
⁸ Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, China. zhubin@hubu.edu.cn.
⁹ Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, Loughborough University, Ashby Road, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK. zhubin@hubu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Interest in low-temperature operation of solid oxide fuel cells is growing. Recent advances in perovskite phases have resulted in an efficient H⁺/O^2-/e^- triple-conducting electrode BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ for low-temperature fuel cells. Here, we further develop BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ for electrolyte applications by taking advantage of its high ionic conduction while suppressing its electronic conduction through constructing a BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ-ZnO p-n heterostructure. With this approach, it has been demonstrated that BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ can be applied in a fuel cell with good electrolyte functionality, achieving attractive ionic conductivity and cell performance. Further investigation confirms the hybrid H⁺/O^2- conducting capability of BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ-ZnO. An energy band alignment mechanism based on a p-n heterojunction is proposed to explain the suppression of electronic conductivity and promotion of ionic conductivity in the heterostructure. Our findings demonstrate that BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ is not only a good electrode but also a highly promising electrolyte. The approach reveals insight for developing advanced low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't