Facile Approach to Enhance Activity and CO₂ Resistance of a Novel Cobalt-Free Perovskite Cathode for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Developing high-performance and cost-effective cathodes is ever-increasingly vital for the advancement of intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). To facilitate the popularization of nonprecious metallic and cobalt-free oxygen reduction electrodes, herein, we propose a novel perovskite-based BaFeO3−δ (BF) matrix, Ba0.75Sr0.25Fe0.875Y0.125O3−δ (BSFY), as a highly active cathode for IT-SOFCs. To our satisfaction, the BSFY electrode showcases a low area-specific resistance of 0.063 Ω cm2, as well as a high peak power density of 1288 mW cm–2 at 600 °C, yielding a more than threefold improvement compared to that of its BF counterpart (371 mW cm–2). The long-term durability test highlights its practicability under the IT operating condition. When tested in 10 vol % CO2-containing air, the BSFY electrode exhibits impressive resistance against contaminants within 50 h (<0.4 Ω cm2 with a deterioration rate of ∼0.00011 Ω cm2 min–1). Coupled with its reversible response between pure air and the contaminant, the BSFY cathode is expected to be a promising cobalt-free alternative with high CO2 resistance for IT-SOFCs.