Development of advanced nickelate-based oxygen electrodes for solid oxide cells

Abstract

The present work deals with the development of lanthanide nickelate based oxygen electrodes (Ln2NiO4+δ, with Ln = Nd, La or Pr) as the oxygen electrode for both solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) applications. The have been widely investigated as they present high oxygen diffusion parameters, making them attractive as SOFC oxygen electrodes. However, the main drawback of these nickelate phases is their reactivity with standard YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia) or CGO (cerium gadolinium oxide) electrolytes, as typical sintering temperatures are usually higher than 1000 ºC in order to get strong adhesion at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Two strategies will be employed to avoid the undesired reactivity: the direct formation of the nickelate phase into YSZ scaffolds by infiltration and the development of active barrier layer.