Superior Performance as Cathode Material for Intermediate-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells of the Ruddlesden-Popper...

The effects of the contents of iron and cobalt on the crystal structure, oxygen content, thermal expansion coefficient, and electrical-electrochemical properties of materials Eu₂SrCoFe_2-O_7-δ (x = 0.50 and 1.00) are reported. These oxides are well-ordered new members of the Ruddlesden-Popper series (Eu,Sr)(Co,Fe)O₃ system with n = 2 as determined by selected area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. The two materials are semiconductors of p-type, with much higher total conductivity under working conditions for the low cobalt compound, Eu₂SrCo_0.50Fe_1.50O_7-δ. Composite cathodes prepared with this oxide present much lower area-specific resistance values (0.08 Ω·cm² at 973 K in air) than composites containing Eu₂SrCo_1.00Fe_1.00O_7-δ (1.15 Ω·cm²). This significant difference is related to the much higher total conductivity and a sufficiently high content of oxygen vacancies in the Fe-rich phase. The excellent electrochemical performance of Eu₂SrCo_0.50Fe_1.50O_7-δ with low cobalt content, which shows one of the lowest area-specific resistance reported so far for a Ruddlesden-Popper oxide, makes it a good candidate for application as a cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells at intermediate temperatures in real devices.