Enhancing the catalytic activity of PrBaFe2O5+δ double perovskite with BaCoO3-δ modification as an electrode material for symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells

Symmetrical solid oxide fuel cell (S–SOFC) has gained extensive attention for its simplifying fabrication process and reducing cost. Fe-based double perovskite PrBaFe2O5+δ (PBF) is a potential electrode material for S–SOFC due to the excellent mixed electronic and oxygen ionic conductivity. However, the electrochemical performance of PBF is limited by lacking enough oxygen vacancies and the sluggish oxygen-ion transport kinetics. Herein, a BaCoO3-δ(BCO) impregnated PBF (PBF–BCO) electrode is investigated with enhanced catalytic activity. The BCO decoration can significantly decrease the polarization resistance (Rp) by approximately 36.5% and 26.0% compared to PBF at 800 °C in air and hydrogen atmosphere, respectively. The peak power density (PPD) of an electrolyte-supported S–SOFC with PBF–BCO electrode is nearly 36% higher than that of PBF electrode. The prominent electrochemical performance of the PBF–BCO electrode is attributed to the significantly accelerated oxygen adsorption/dissociation processes, which promote the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and enhanced charge transfer processes in H2 atmosphere for superior hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). The results demonstrate that the BCO impregnated PBF is one of the promising electrode materials for S–SOFC.