Development of Ni-Sr(V,Ti)O_3-δ Fuel Electrodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A series of strontium titanates-vanadates (STVN) with nominal cation composition Sr_1-Ti_1-VNiO_3-δ (x = 0-0.04, y = 0.20-0.40 and z = 0.02-0.12) were prepared by a solid-state reaction route in 10% H₂-N₂ atmosphere and characterized under reducing conditions as potential fuel electrode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. Detailed phase evolution studies using XRD and SEM/EDS demonstrated that firing at temperatures as high as 1200 °C is required to eliminate undesirable secondary phases. Under such conditions, nickel tends to segregate as a metallic phase and is unlikely to incorporate into the perovskite lattice. Ceramic samples sintered at 1500 °C exhibited temperature-activated electrical conductivity that showed a weak p(O₂) dependence and increased with vanadium content, reaching a maximum of ~17 S/cm at 1000 °C. STVN ceramics showed moderate thermal expansion coefficients (12.5-14.3 ppm/K at 25-1100 °C) compatible with that of yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ). Porous STVN electrodes on 8YSZ solid electrolytes were fabricated at 1100 °C and studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at 700-900 °C in an atmosphere of diluted humidified H₂ under zero DC conditions. As-prepared STVN electrodes demonstrated comparatively poor electrochemical performance, which was attributed to insufficient intrinsic electrocatalytic activity and agglomeration of metallic nickel during the high-temperature synthetic procedure. Incorporation of an oxygen-ion-conducting Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_2-δ phase (20-30 wt.%) and nano-sized Ni as electrocatalyst (≥1 wt.%) into the porous electrode structure via infiltration resulted in a substantial improvement in electrochemical activity and reduction of electrode polarization resistance by 6-8 times at 900 °C and ≥ one order of magnitude at 800 °C.