Tuning defect nonequilibrium of brownmillerite Sr1+xY2-xO4+δ for
rich-oxygen-vacancy direct ammonia SOFC cathode
Abstract
In this study, we prepared SrR2O4+δ (SRO, R=Y, Yb, Gd, Sm) of
brownmillerite structure. Among the four n-type SRO semiconductors, SYO
is the most negative in conduction band and the smallest in band gap. As
a result, the SYO-based SOFC can offer a maximum power density (MPD) of
1.03W/cm-2 at 800°C, which is higher than that based on the other three
SRO oxides. The introduction of larger Sr2+ at the B sites of
Sr1+xY2-xO4+δ [SYO(x)] causes decrease of band gap, resulting in a
4-fold increase of electronic conductivity. The foreign Sr2+ creates
surface oxygen vacancies to boost interfacial transport. The measurement
of oxygen transport reveals that SYO(0.10) exhibits a bulk diffusion
coefficient 500 folds higher than that of LSM. An anode supported
Ni-YSZ|YSZ|SYO(0.10)-60YSZ DA-SOFC yields an MPD of
0.24W/cm2 at 600°C and 1.21 W/cm2 at 800°C with remarkable stability,
about 1.73- and 1.29-folds higher than that of LSM-based SOFC,
respectively.