Enhanced oxygen reduction kinetics of SrCoO_3- 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-delta (SCTC) and Nb/Cu co-doped SrCo0.8Nb0.1-Cu0.1O3-delta (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 degrees C, SCTC exhibits an ASR of 0.033 omega cm2, while it is 0.038 omega cm2 for SCNC. Additionally, SCTC demonstrates a considerable output per-formance 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.