A novel layered perovskite cathode for proton conducting solid oxide fuel cells

BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3−δ (BZCY7) exhibits adequate proton conductivity as well as sufficient chemical and thermal stability over a wide range of SOFC operating conditions, while layered SmBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co₂O_5+δ (SBSC) perovskite demonstrates advanced electrochemical properties based on doped ceria electrolyte. This research fully takes advantage of these advanced properties and develops novel protonic ceramic membrane fuel cells (PCMFCs) of Ni-BZCY7|BZCY7|SBSC. The results show that the open-circuit potential of 1.015 V and maximum power density of 533 mW cm⁻² are achieved at 700 °C. With temperature increase, the total cell resistance decreases, among which electrolyte resistance becomes increasingly dominant over polarization resistance. The results also indicate that SBSC perovskite cathode is a good candidate for intermediate temperature PCMFC development, while the developed Ni-BZCY7|BZCY7|SBSC cell is a promising functional material system for next generation SOFCs.