Electrochemical Properties of a Co-Doped SrSnO<sub>3−δ</sub>-Based Semiconductor as an Electrolyte for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
M.A.K. Yousaf Shah, Bin Zhu, Sajid Rauf, Naveed Mushtaq, Muhammad Yousaf, Nasir Ali, Zuhra Tayyab, Nabeela Akbar, Chang Ping Yang, Baoyuan Wang
Abstract
Tuning semiconductors as an electrolyte for advanced low-temperature fuel cells is an exciting but challenging research subject. To realize this, we develop the cobalt-doped SrSnO3 (SrCo0.1Sn0.9O3−δ and SrCo0.2Sn0.8O3−δ) toward an electrolyte, which only permits ions to pass but blocks the electrons simultaneously. The SrCo0.2Sn0.8O3−δ electrolyte fuel cell has achieved a remarkable performance with a maximum power density of 476 mW cm–2 and obtained a high ionic conductivity of 0.12 S cm–1 at a low temperature of 520 °C. This improved performance is accredited to the bandgap engineering and built-in electric field, which significantly enhanced the ionic transport while suppressing the electronic conduction. The doped SrCoSnO3−δ perovskite materials demonstrated a high potential for solving the low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) material’s challenging problems.