Niobium doped lanthanum calcium ferrite perovskite as a novel electrode material for symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells

Development of cost-effective and efficient electrochemical catalysts for the fuel cells electrode is of prime importance to emerging renewable energy technologies . Here, we report for the first time the novel La 0.9 Ca 0.1 Fe 0.9 Nb 0.1 O 3−δ (LCFNb) perovskite with good potentiality for the electrode material of the symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells (SSOFC). The Sc 0.2 Zr 0.8 O 2−δ (SSZ) electrolyte supported symmetrical cells with impregnated LCFNb and LCFNb/SDC (Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2−δ ) electrodes achieve relatively high power outputs with maximum power densities (MPDs) reaching up to 392 and 528.6 mW cm −2 at 850 °C in dry H 2 , respectively, indicating the excellent electro-catalytic activity of LCFNb towards both hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction. Besides, the MPDs of the symmetrical cells with LCFNb/SDC composite electrodes in CO and syngas (CO: H 2  = 1:1) are almost identical to those in H 2 , implying that LCFNb material has similar catalytic activities to carbon monoxide compared with hydrogen. High durability in both H 2 , CO and syngas during the short term stability tests for 50 h are also obtained, showing desirable structure stability, and carbon deposition resistance of LCFNb based electrodes. The present results indicate that the LCFNb perovskite with remarkable cell performance is a promising electrode material for symmetrical SOFCs.