Understanding electrocatalytic activity of titanium and samarium doped ceria as anode material for solid oxide fuel cells

• Titanium and samarium stabilized ceria (Ce 0.73 Ti 0.07 Sm 0.2 O 2-δ (STDC)) prepared by urea combustion method. • Proposed anode material shows nearly 4 times enhancement in surface area. • H 2 -TPR results indicates incorporation of Ti in Sm stabilized ceria promotes low temperature reduction. In the present work, titanium and samarium doped ceria (Ce 0.73 Ti 0.07 Sm 0.2 O 2-δ , (STDC)) is evaluated as potential anode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). The anode and electrolyte (Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2-δ, (SDC20)) materials are synthesized using urea combustion method. The desired phase formed is confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The textural study is performed using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. STDC shows nearly 4 times enhancement in surface area and higher mesopores compared with SDC20. The effect of titanium on chemical environment of cerium is investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Both + 3 and + 4 valence states of cerium exist, which indicate high oxygen non-stoichiometry present in the synthesized samples. The morphological features are investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy/High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. Electrolyte supported cell is fabricated using cold-pressing and spin coating of electrode and co-firing of cell. Fuel cell tests with 5 % H 2 (95 % N 2 ) as a fuel demonstrate Ce 0.73 Ti 0.07 Sm 0.2 O 2-δ -NiO as a potential anode material for IT-SOFCs.