Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts

Hafiz Ahmad Ishfaq; Saeed Ur Rehman; Muhammad Zubair Khan; Tahir Sattar; Mohsin Saleem; Jung-Hyuk Koh; Iftikhar Hussain; Amjad Hussain; Sanaullah Qamar; Abdul Ghaffar

doi:10.1021/acsaem.5c01441

Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts

Hafiz Ahmad Ishfaq (Co-first Author)
, Saeed Ur Rehman (Co-first Author)
, Muhammad Zubair Khan^*
, Tahir Sattar
, Mohsin Saleem^*
, Jung-Hyuk Koh^*
, Iftikhar Hussain
, Amjad Hussain
, Sanaullah Qamar
, Abdul Ghaffar

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics is crucial for improving the electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Various strategies have been explored to modify state-of-the-art ion-conducting cathode scaffolds by incorporating electrocatalysts to create synergistic effects. In this study, we utilize radio frequency (RF) sputtering to integrate platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru) electrocatalysts into gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) scaffolds, aiming to enhance ORR kinetics. Electrochemical analyses reveal that Ru-sputtered electrocatalysts exhibit superior catalytic activity and long-term stability compared to Pt-sputtered counterparts. Postmortem analysis using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identifies Pt agglomeration as the primary cause of its poor stability. In contrast, Ru undergoes an in situ transformation into a stable, needle-like RuO2 phase during operation, significantly improving durability. The RF sputtering approach presents a simple, cost-effective method for deploying highly efficient and thermally stable Ru electrocatalysts, offering a viable pathway toward the commercial realization of high-performance SOFCs. © 2025 American Chemical Society

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	15069-15078
Number of pages	10
Journal	ACS Applied Energy Materials
Volume	8
Issue number	20
Online published	7 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c01441
Publication status	Published - 27 Oct 2025

Funding

This work was jointly supported by the National Research Program of Universities (NRPU), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan research fund “Development of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Technology for Hydrogen and Syngas Production Utilizing Industrial Emissions from Brick Kilns, Power Plants, and Beyond (HEC/R&D/RGA/NRPU/2025/86828)”, and by the MSIT (Ministry of Science and ICT), Korea, under the ITRC (Information Technology Research Centre) support program (IITP-2025-RS-2020-II201655, 50%) supervised by the IITP (Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Research Keywords

Solid oxide fuel cells
Cathode
Oxygen reductionreaction
RF sputtering
Ruthenium electrocatalyst

Access Output

10.1021/acsaem.5c01441

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

@article{8e8ca99707c543a795cdb1a28486ee5d,

title = "Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts",

abstract = "Enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics is crucial for improving the electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Various strategies have been explored to modify state-of-the-art ion-conducting cathode scaffolds by incorporating electrocatalysts to create synergistic effects. In this study, we utilize radio frequency (RF) sputtering to integrate platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru) electrocatalysts into gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) scaffolds, aiming to enhance ORR kinetics. Electrochemical analyses reveal that Ru-sputtered electrocatalysts exhibit superior catalytic activity and long-term stability compared to Pt-sputtered counterparts. Postmortem analysis using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identifies Pt agglomeration as the primary cause of its poor stability. In contrast, Ru undergoes an in situ transformation into a stable, needle-like RuO2 phase during operation, significantly improving durability. The RF sputtering approach presents a simple, cost-effective method for deploying highly efficient and thermally stable Ru electrocatalysts, offering a viable pathway toward the commercial realization of high-performance SOFCs. {\textcopyright} 2025 American Chemical Society",

keywords = "Solid oxide fuel cells, Cathode, Oxygen reductionreaction, RF sputtering, Ruthenium electrocatalyst",

author = "Ishfaq, \{Hafiz Ahmad\} and Rehman, \{Saeed Ur\} and Khan, \{Muhammad Zubair\} and Tahir Sattar and Mohsin Saleem and Jung-Hyuk Koh and Iftikhar Hussain and Amjad Hussain and Sanaullah Qamar and Abdul Ghaffar",

year = "2025",

month = oct,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1021/acsaem.5c01441",

language = "English",

volume = "8",

pages = "15069--15078",

number = "20",

}

Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts. / Ishfaq, Hafiz Ahmad (Co-first Author); Rehman, Saeed Ur (Co-first Author); Khan, Muhammad Zubair et al.
In: ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 8, No. 20, 27.10.2025, p. 15069-15078.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts

AU - Ishfaq, Hafiz Ahmad

AU - Rehman, Saeed Ur

AU - Khan, Muhammad Zubair

AU - Sattar, Tahir

AU - Saleem, Mohsin

AU - Koh, Jung-Hyuk

AU - Hussain, Iftikhar

AU - Hussain, Amjad

AU - Qamar, Sanaullah

AU - Ghaffar, Abdul

PY - 2025/10/27

Y1 - 2025/10/27

N2 - Enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics is crucial for improving the electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Various strategies have been explored to modify state-of-the-art ion-conducting cathode scaffolds by incorporating electrocatalysts to create synergistic effects. In this study, we utilize radio frequency (RF) sputtering to integrate platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru) electrocatalysts into gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) scaffolds, aiming to enhance ORR kinetics. Electrochemical analyses reveal that Ru-sputtered electrocatalysts exhibit superior catalytic activity and long-term stability compared to Pt-sputtered counterparts. Postmortem analysis using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identifies Pt agglomeration as the primary cause of its poor stability. In contrast, Ru undergoes an in situ transformation into a stable, needle-like RuO2 phase during operation, significantly improving durability. The RF sputtering approach presents a simple, cost-effective method for deploying highly efficient and thermally stable Ru electrocatalysts, offering a viable pathway toward the commercial realization of high-performance SOFCs. © 2025 American Chemical Society

AB - Enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics is crucial for improving the electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Various strategies have been explored to modify state-of-the-art ion-conducting cathode scaffolds by incorporating electrocatalysts to create synergistic effects. In this study, we utilize radio frequency (RF) sputtering to integrate platinum (Pt) and ruthenium (Ru) electrocatalysts into gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) scaffolds, aiming to enhance ORR kinetics. Electrochemical analyses reveal that Ru-sputtered electrocatalysts exhibit superior catalytic activity and long-term stability compared to Pt-sputtered counterparts. Postmortem analysis using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identifies Pt agglomeration as the primary cause of its poor stability. In contrast, Ru undergoes an in situ transformation into a stable, needle-like RuO2 phase during operation, significantly improving durability. The RF sputtering approach presents a simple, cost-effective method for deploying highly efficient and thermally stable Ru electrocatalysts, offering a viable pathway toward the commercial realization of high-performance SOFCs. © 2025 American Chemical Society

KW - Solid oxide fuel cells

KW - Cathode

KW - Oxygen reductionreaction

KW - RF sputtering

KW - Ruthenium electrocatalyst

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105019934570

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105019934570&origin=recordpage

UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001588904100001

U2 - 10.1021/acsaem.5c01441

DO - 10.1021/acsaem.5c01441

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2574-0962

VL - 8

SP - 15069

EP - 15078

JO - ACS Applied Energy Materials

JF - ACS Applied Energy Materials

IS - 20

ER -

Superior Oxygen Reduction Performance and Stability of SOFC Cathodes via RF-Sputtered Ruthenium Electrocatalysts

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Research Keywords

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Cite this