Enhanced oxygen reduction kinetics of SrCoO3-δ by Ta/Cu or Nb/Cu co-doping as high-performance cathodes for SOFC

Cathodes demonstrating elevated electrochemical catalysis and CO2 endurance are fundamental for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Herein, Ta/Cu co-doped SrCo0.8Ta0.1Cu0.1O3-δ (SCTC) and Nb/Cu co-doped SrCo0.8Nb0.1Cu0.1O3-δ (SCNC) perovskite oxides were prepared and comparative studied as high-performance SOFC cathodes. Due to the synergistic effects of Ta/Cu and Nb/Cu, the oxygen vacancy content, the ratio of Co3+/Co4+, the average bonding energy and the critical radius in the material are well regulated, resulting in the reduction of TEC and enhanced electrochemical catalytic activity in SCTC and SCNC. At 800 °C, SCTC exhibits an ASR of 0.033 Ω cm2, while it is 0.038 Ω cm2 for SCNC. Additionally, SCTC demonstrates a considerable output performance of 0.89 W cm-2, representing a 15.65% improvement over SCNC. This work offers a highly effective approach to developing materials for next-generation energy transformation devices.