SnOx surface modified Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-δ cathode with enhanced electrocatalytic activities for direct CO2 electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cells

Surface modification and/or reconstruction for perovskite oxides cathode is an efficient strategy to accelerate sluggish kinetics of CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). Herein, active SnOx nanoparticles with average size of similar to 10 nm are loaded on the surface of Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-delta (SFM) cathode via a facile wet infiltration method. Benefiting from improved specific surface area, expended three phase boundaries, optimized CO2 adsorption/activation abilities, as well as additional oxygen vacancies, the as-prepared SOEC with the SFM@SnOx cathode delivers an enhanced current density of 0.691 A cm(-2) under an applied voltage of 1.5 V at 850 degrees C for the CO2 electrolysis, and successfully operates 100 h without any attenuation under 1.2 V at 800 degrees C. This work offers new insights into tailoring perovskite oxide cathode for the CO2 electrolysis in SOEC via a surface post-treatment strategy.