(Invited) High Performance La 0.3 Ca 0.7 Fe 0.7 Cr 0.3 O 3-Δ -Based Cathodes for the Conversion of CO 2 to CO in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Ni-based cathodes have been widely accepted as the state-of-the-art in terms of their superior catalytic activity for the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC). However, they are prone to NiO formation and coking at high conversion rates, resulting in performance degradation and subsequent loss of activity (1, 2). For these reasons, numerous efforts have focused on investigating alternative electrocatalysts to replace Ni-based SOEC cathodes. Perovskite oxides, with a general formula ABO 3 , are a versatile class of materials that have very good catalytic properties that can be tailored by doping a variety of cations on the A- or B-site of the parent lattice. Extensive efforts in our group have been focussed on a very promising class of perovskite electrocatalysts, namely La 0.3 M 0.7 Fe 0.7 Cr 0.3 O 3-δ (M = Sr, Ca) (LMFCr) that are not only highly active for oxygen reduction/evolution, but also for CO 2 reduction (3-5). These materials are mixed ionic electronic conductors (MIEC) that also exhibit excellent compatibility with conventional electrolyte materials and hence can be employed directly as electrode layers without the need for composite electrodes that require mixing with ionic conductors, e.g., gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) etc. Futhermore, the same electrocatalyst can be used as both the fuel and oxygen electrode which enables the cell to run reversibly (reversible solid oxide fuel cells, RSOFC). This is highly advantageous in terms of simplifying cell design and hence lowering cost, while also mitigating compatibility issues with neighboring cell components and generating long term stability (6), thus making the LMFCr electrocatalyst very promising for commercialization purposes. Of the two LMFCr analogues, La 0.3 Ca 0.7 Fe 0.7 Cr 0.3 O 3-δ (LCFCr) exhibits superior catalytic activity for both the CO 2 RR and OER and therefore it is the focus of this work. Here, the stability of the LCFCr catalyst under high CO 2 conversion to CO has been examined, determining whether these conditions lead to any deleterious effects, such as coke formation. We have answered this question by studying the stability and electrochemical performance of LCFCr in various CO 2 :CO environments. Furthermore, we have also employed Ni-doped LCFCr to decorate the perovskite surface with in situ exsolved metal nanoparticles (NP) to determine if this would further enhance its catalytic activity and stability. The LCFCr electrode ink was pre