The enhanced electrochemical response of Sr(TiFeRu)O anodes due to exsolved Ru-Fe nanoparticles

A mixed conducting oxide with a nominal composition Sr(Ti 0.3 Fe 0.7 Ru 0.07 )O 3− δ (STFRu) is studied, in comparison with SrTi 0.3 Fe 0.7 O 3− δ (STF) oxide, as an anode for solid oxide fuel cells. Exposing STFRu to reducing fuel conditions at 800 °C for 4 h results in the exsolution of essentially all of the Ru and a small fraction of the Fe from the oxide, and the formation of Ru 1− x Fe x nanoparticles on the oxide surfaces. Most of the nanoparticles have the hexagonal structure expected for Ru-rich alloys, and thermogravimetric analysis suggests the composition x ∼ 0.2. A small fraction of bcc-structure, presumably Fe-rich, nanoparticles are also detected. Comparison of cells with STFRu and STF anodes shows that the presence of Ru induces a reduced polarization resistance and increases the maximum power density under most cell operating conditions, particularly at lower temperatures and hydrogen partial pressures. For example, at 700 °C and 30% H 2 fuel, the maximum power density is 0.1 W cm −2 for STF compared to 0.3 W cm −2 for STFRu. There is also a significant change in the shape of the current-voltage curves and the p H 2 -dependence of the anode polarization resistances R P,A ∝ ( p H 2 ) − m , from m ∼ 0.5-1.0 for STF to m ∼ 0.11-0.29 for STFRu; these suggest that Ru 1− x Fe x nanoparticles improve anode performance by promoting hydrogen adsorption. The performance of an anode for solid oxide fuel cells, a mixed conducting oxide SrTi 0.3 Fe 0.7 O 3− δ (STF), is improved by Ru 0.8 Fe 0.2 nanoparticles formed by ex-solution, which promote the hydrogen adsorption.