Tuning an ionic-electronic mixed conductor NdBa0.5Sr0.5Co1.5Fe0.5O5+δ for electrolyte functions of advanced fuel cells

An ionic-conducting electrolyte mainly governs the solid oxide fuel cell performance. In this work, a mixed conductor NdBa0.5Sr0.5Co1.5Fe0.5O5+delta was tuned as an electrolyte via compositing with a proton conductor BaZr0.3Ce0.6Y0.1O5+delta (BZCY), which realizes an ionic conductivity of 0.16 S cm(-1) at 550 degrees C along with fuel cell power density of 470 mW cm(-2). The 10 wt.% proton conducting BZCY can not only effectively block the electronic conductivity of NBSCF, but also greatly improve its ionic conductivity and the corresponding device's power output. The interfacial conduction could take a crucial role in the ion transporting process of BZCY-NBSCF composite. These interfaces or nanoscale grain boundaries formed amongst two phases keep excellent capability for designing and creating high performance electrochemical devices along with high-power density. (c) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.