Evaluation of BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.2- x Ni x O3- δ perovskite cathode using nickel as a sintering aid for IT-SOFC

Muneeb Irshad; Mehak Khalid; Muhammad Rafique; Naveed Ahmad; Khurram Siraj; Rizwan Raza; Muhammad Sadiq; Muhammad Ahsan; Abdul Ghaffar; Amina Ashfaq

doi:10.1039/d1ra00789k

Evaluation of BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr_{0.2- x} Ni _x O_{3- δ} perovskite cathode using nickel as a sintering aid for IT-SOFC

RSC Adv. 2021 Apr 16;11(24):14475-14483. doi: 10.1039/d1ra00789k. eCollection 2021 Apr 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore 54890 Pakistan muneebirshad@gmail.com.
² Department of Physics, University of Sahiwal Sahiwal Pakistan.
³ Department of Physics, University of Education Township Lahore Pakistan.
⁴ Clean Energy Research Lab (CERL), Department of Physics, COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus Lahore 54000 Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Semiconductor Materials, Linköping University Sweden.
⁶ Department of Thermal Power and Energy Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology China.
⁷ Department of Physics, Government College University Lahore Pakistan.

Abstract

In this research work, BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr_0.2-x Ni _x O_3-δ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) perovskite cathode material for IT-SOFC is synthesized successfully using a combustion method and sintered at low temperature. The effects of nickel as a sintering aid on the properties of BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr₀.₂O_3-δ are investigated through different characterization methods. The addition of nickel increased the densification and grain growth at a lower sintering temperature 1200 °C. XRD analysis confirms a single phase of BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr₀.₂O_3-δ , and an increase in crystalline size is observed. SEM micrographs show formation of dense microstructure with increased nickel concentration. TGA analysis revealed that BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr_0.2-x Ni _x cathode materials are thermally stable within the SOFC temperature range, and negligible weight loss of 2.3% is observed. The bonds of hydroxyl groups and metal oxides are confirmed for all samples through FTIR analysis. The highest electrical properties are observed for BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr_0.2-x Ni _x (x = 0.04) due to increased densification and electronic defects compared to other compositions. The maximum power density of 0.47 W cm^-2 is obtained for a cell having cathode material BaCo₀.₄Fe₀.₄Zr_0.2-x Ni _x (x = 0.02) owing to its permeable and well-connected structure compared to others.