<i>In Situ</i> Fabrication of a Supported Ba ₃ Ca _1.18 Nb _1.82 O _9−δ Membrane Electrolyte for a Proton‐Conducting SOFC

Abstract

A thin Ba 3 Ca 1.18 Nb 1.82 O 9−δ (BCN18) membrane electrolyte was prepared by a novel and facile method on a NiO–BCN18 anode substrate. The interesting aspect of the method was the adoption of a in situ reaction of BaCO 3 , CaCO 3 , and Nb 2 O 5 on the anode substrate to prepare a dense BCN18 membrane. The BCN18 membrane obtained, which was about 15 μm in thickness and showed high chemical stability against H 2 O and CO 2 , attained a high density after sintering at 1400°C. The elemental composition of the BCN18 membrane prepared was identified by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analysis. With La 0.7 Sr 0.3 FeO 3−σ (LSF) as the cathode, the fuel cell performance with the structure of Ni–BCN18/BCN18/LSF was studied.