A triple (e⁻/O²⁻/H⁺) conducting perovskite BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell

Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs) have recently gained enormous attention worldwide with a new research trend focusing on single layer fuel cells (SLFC), which have better cell performance than traditional SOFCs at low operating temperatures. In this study, a triple (e⁻/O²⁻/H⁺) conducting perovskite BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ (BCFZY) is used as the intermediate layer material for SLFC. A high current density of 994 mA/cm² at 0.6 V and a peak power density of 610 mW/cm² with an OCV of 1.01 V has been achieved with a cell operating temperature of 550 °C, confirming the application feasibility of BCFZY in SLFCs. Furthermore, a typical proton conductor BaZr_0.8Y_0.2O_3-δ (BZY) is introduced into BCFZY to enhance the cell performance. By adjusting the mass ratio of the BCFZY-BZY layer, an optimal power density is obtained, achieving 703 mW/cm² with an OCV of 1.03 V at 550 °C with an 8BCFZY:2BZY (wt%) ratio. These findings prove that the proposed BCFZY-BZY holds great promise for developing SLFCs to realize low-temperature operation.