High electrical conductivity and crystal structure of the solid oxide cell electrode Pr4Ni3O10-δ
File(s)
Supporting information
Author(s)
Skinner, Stephen
Aguadero, Ainara
Tsai, Chen-Yu
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Pr4Ni3O10-δ is a promising air electrode for solid oxide fuel cells and electrolysers with comparable performance to Pr2NiO4+δ but with improved thermodynamic stability at a cell operating temperature of 600 °C–800 °C. To fully understand and integrate Pr4Ni3O10-δ into commercial devices there are several aspects that remain to be addressed. This study provides a systematic analysis of the synthesis kinetics, crystal structure, oxygen content and electrical conductivity providing clear paths for the development of Pr4Ni3O10-δ-based low temperature solid oxide electrochemical devices with enhanced performance and stability. We prove that the material can reach a remarkable electrical conductivity of 235 Scm-1 at 700 °C in air, much higher than the previously reported values of 86 Scm-1 and 56 Scm-1, rising to 278 Scm-1 at 450 °C. High resolution neutron powder and in-situ X-ray diffraction confirmed that Pr4Ni3O10-δ crystallises in the monoclinic P21/a space group, and that no phase transitions were observed on heating to 1000 °C in air. An electrical conductivity anomaly was found at ~300 °C and is attributed to a subtle change in the local structure of the material, potentially associated with changes in the oxygen content.
Date Issued
2020-09
Date Acceptance
2020-06-19
Citation
Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 2020, 289, pp.1-9
ISSN
0022-4596
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
9
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Solid State Chemistry
Volume
289
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022459620303637?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
EP/L015277/1
Subjects
0302 Inorganic Chemistry
0303 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry
0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)
Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2020-06-25