Developing abundant rare-earth iron perovskite electrodes for high-performance and low-cost solid oxide fuel cells

The swift advancement of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) sector necessitates a harmony between electrode performance and commercialization cost. The economic value of elements is frequently linked to their abundance in the Earth's crust. Here, we develop abundant rare-earth iron perovskite electrodes of Ln_0.6Sr_0.4FeO_3-δ (Ln = La, Pr, and Nd) with high abundant rare-earth metals and preferred iron metal for SOFCs. All three symmetric electrode materials display a cubic perovskite phase and excellent chemical compatibility with Gd_0.2Ce_0.8O_2-δ electrolyte. All three electrodes possess exceptional surface oxygen exchange ability. At 800°C, single cells with La_0.6Sr_0.4FeO_3-δ, Pr_0.6Sr_0.4FeO_3-δ, and Nd_0.6Sr_0.4FeO_3-δ symmetric electrodes attained excellent open circuit voltages of 1.108, 1.101, and 1.097 V, respectively, as well as peak powers of 213.52, 281.12, and 254.58 mW cm^-2. The results suggest that overall performance of abundant rare-earth iron perovskite electrodes has a favorable impact on the extensive expansion of SOFCs, presenting significant potential for practical applications.