High performance nanostructured bismuth oxide-cobaltite as a durable oxygen electrode for reversible solid oxide cells

The high reactivity between bismuth oxide and cobaltite oxygen electrodes is a bottleneck in developing active and reliable bismuth oxide-cobaltite composite oxygen electrodes for solid oxide cells (SOCs). Herein, a Sr-free Sm0.95Co0.95Pd0.05O3-delta (SmCPd) oxygen electrode decorated with nanoscale Er0.4Bi1.6O3 (ESB) is synthesized and assembled on a barrier-layer-free Y2O3-ZrO2 (YSZ) electrolyte film. The cell with the ESB decorated SmCPd composite oxygen electrode exhibits a peak power density of 1.81 W cm(-2) at 750 degrees C and 0.58 W cm(-2) at 650 degrees C. More importantly, excellent operating stability is achieved in the fuel cell mode at 600 degrees C for 500 h, and in electrolysis and reversible modes at 750 degrees C for over 200 h. The results demonstrate the feasibility of applying bismuth oxide-cobaltite composite oxygen electrodes in developing high-performance and durable SOCs.