High performance of protonic solid oxide fuel cell with BaCo_0.7Fe_0.22Sc_0.08O_3−δ electrode

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have attracted tremendous attention for their combination of environmental power generation and fuel flexibility. Proton conducting SOFCs (P-SOFCs) demonstrate advantages over oxygen-ion conducting SOFCs, such as less activation energies on ionic transport and higher fuel utilization efficiency. Central to the devices is a suitable cathode with high catalytic activity. Herein, a cubic perovskite BaCo_0.7Fe_0.22Sc_0.08O_3−δ (BCFSc) has been applied as the cathode in proton-conducting solid state fuel cell (SOFC) with BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3−δ (BZCY) electrolyte. Peak power densities of 760, 591, 452 and 318 mW cm−2 are obtained at 650, 600, 550 and 500 °C with humidified hydrogen as the fuel and air as the oxidant. A low polarization resistance of 0.05 Ω cm² under open circuit at 650 °C is observed.