In-situ exsolved Ni-Cu alloy nanoparticles for optimization of perovskite electrodes in solid oxide electrolysis cell

The perovskite-type solid oxide electrolytic cell (SOEC) has good redox stability and resistance to carbon accumulation, but the catalytic activity hinders its further development. Loading of metal nanoparticles is a widely accepted strategy for optimizing catalyst performance. However, the nanoparticles loaded by traditional methods such as impregnation are distributed unevenly and tend to agglomerate and sinter during reaction process. In this work, an in-situ exsolution strategy is employed to drive Ni and Cu doped in La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 exsolved and anchored onto electrode surface, which exists in the form of Ni-Cu alloy nanoparticles, thereby constructing abundant and stable reaction active sites. The in-suit exsolved alloy nanoparticles have a stronger interaction force with the substrate, thus avoiding agglomeration and deactivation during reaction process, ensuring the stable existence of the active sites. When the cathode is LSM-Ni0.050Cu0.050, under the testing condition of 800 degrees C, 1.8 V, CO yield is up to 9.51 mL min(-1) cm(-2), which is 3.3 times higher than that of the unoptimized one. This work provides an effective way to optimize the microstructure of SOEC electrodes.