PN Heterostructure Interface-Facilitated Proton Conduction in 3C-SiC/Na<sub>0.6</sub>CoO<sub>2</sub> Electrolyte for Fuel Cell Application
Faze Wang, Yueming Xing, Enyi Hu, Jun Wang, Jing Shi, Sining Yun, Bin Zhu
Abstract
Cubic SiC is one of the emerging semiconductors utilized in power and electronic devices. In this work, 3C-SiC was tuned to protonic conducting properties via constructing an n–p heterostructure composite with Na0.6CoO2 (NCO). The peak power density of the fuel cell with 1:1.5 3C-SiC/NCO as an electrolyte is 251.6 mW cm–2, while its corresponding ionic conductivity reaches 0.12 S cm−1 at 550 °C. The band alignment and local electric field at the interface are simulated to explain the 3C-SiC/NCO conducting mechanism and device electrochemical performances. This research indicates that 3C-SiC can be modulated to proton conducting material through a semiconductor heterostructure interface mechanism.