Electrical properties of Ni-doped Sm2O3 electrolyte

Nowadays, semiconductor ionic materials have drawn significant attention for developing new electrolytes in low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). Here we investigate the effect of nickel doping on ionic conductivity of Sm₂O₃ as an electrolyte material for low temperature SOFCs. The amount of Ni ion doping has an intense effect on the electrochemical properties and power generation. An optimized composition of 10 mol% nickel doped samarium oxide (10NSO) as an electrolyte in the fuel cell has a high open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.09 V and a notable power output of 1080 mW cm^?2 at 520 °C. Further investigation revealed that the 10NSO displays a superior ionic conduction up to 0.26 S cm^?1 at 520 °C. Moreover, the cell demonstrates high stability up to 80 h. The high electrochemical property and good stability recommend that the NSO is a favorable candidate for symmetrical SOFC electrolyte.