Reactive Mechanisms of LSCF Single-Phase and LSCF-CGO Composite Electrodes Operated in Anodic and Cathodic Polarisations

Improvement of oxygen reduction activity and stability on a perovskite oxide surface by electrochemical potential

The instability of the surface chemistry in transition metal oxide perovskites is the main factor hindering the long-term durability of oxygen electrodes in solid oxide electrochemical cells. The instability of surface chemistry is mainly due to the segregation of A-site dopants from the lattice to the surface. Here we report that cathodic potential can remarkably improve the stability in oxygen reduction reaction and electrochemical activity, by decomposing the near-surface region of the perovskite phase in a porous electrode made of La1-xSrxCo1-xFexO3 mixed with Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9. Our approach combines X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry for surface and sub-surface analysis. Formation of Ruddlesden-Popper phase is accompanied by suppression of the A-site dopant segregation, and exsolution of catalytically active Co particles onto the surface. These findings reveal the chemical and structural elements that maintain an active surface for oxygen reduction, and the cathodic potential is one way to generate these desirable chemistries.

Advances in Focused Ion Beam Tomography for Three-Dimensional Characterization in Materials Science

Over the years, FIB-SEM tomography has become an extremely important technique for the three-dimensional reconstruction of microscopic structures with nanometric resolution. This paper describes in detail the steps required to perform this analysis, from the experimental setup to the data analysis and final reconstruction. To demonstrate the versatility of the technique, a comprehensive list of applications is also summarized, ranging from batteries to shale rocks and even some types of soft materials. Moreover, the continuous technological development, such as the introduction of the latest models of plasma and cryo-FIB, can open the way towards the analysis with this technique of a large class of soft materials, while the introduction of new machine learning and deep learning systems will not only improve the resolution and the quality of the final data, but also expand the degree of automation and efficiency in the dataset handling. These future developments, combined with a technique that is already reliable and widely used in various fields of research, are certain to become a routine tool in electron microscopy and material characterization.

Cobalt oxide enhanced lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

A Co3O4 enhanced La0.8Sr0.2Co0.5Fe0.5O3 - δ (LSCF) electrode is developed for use in air electrodes with proton conducting solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The incipient wetness impregnation method enables Co3O4 nanoparticles on the LSCF surface without altering the bulk porosity of the LSCF electrode. The polarization resistance of LSCF electrodes is significantly reduced by Co3O4 doping, and both charge transfer and diffusion/conversion resistances were positively affected. The highest reduction in charge transfer resistance is obtained at 700 °C, which is increased from 21%to 32%through reduction of po 2. Conversely, the highest reduction in diffusion/conversion resistance is achieved at 550 °C. By increasing po 2, the reduction is increased from 57%to 66%and its activation energy is reduced up to 33 %compared to pure LSCF. The lowest total area specific resistances obtained under air are 1.45 Ω·cm2, 2.95 Ω·cm2, 6.75 Ω·cm2 and 16.45 Ω·cm2 at 700 °C, 650 °C, 600 °C and 550 °C, respectively.