An investigation of metal ion diffusion in ceria‐based solid oxide fuel cell with barium‐containing anode

Abstract

Abstract Metal ion diffusion is an effective strategy to suppress the internal electronic short circuit in ceria‐based solid oxide fuel cells ( SOFC s). This could be achieved by fabricating an electron‐blocking layer between the barium‐containing anode and ceria‐based electrolyte. In this paper, a 0.6NiO‐0.4BaZr 0.1 Ce 0.7 Y 0.2 O 3‐δ (NiO‐ BZCY ) anode‐supported cell based on Gd 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2‐δ ( GDC ) electrolyte was employed to evaluate the internal metal ion diffusion behavior. The high open circuit voltages of about 1 V obtained at 550‐700°C can be attributed to in situ formation of an electron‐blocking interlayer between NiO‐ BZCY and GDC . Microstructural analyses of the interlayer grains obtained by traditional solid‐state reaction were carried out. Phase identification demonstrated that the electron‐blocking interlayer had a perovskite structure. SEM and TEM analyses indicated formation of a new compound in the interlayer, of which the composition was determined as Zr, Y, and Ni co‐doped BaCe 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 3 with orthorhombic structure.