Novel intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell based on La-doped Bi ₄ V ₂ O ₁₁ electrolyte

The electrolyte supported intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) based on Bi4V2O11 (BIVOX) ceramic stabilised by doping with La was investigated. By adding La to the initial composition of BIVOX, stabilisation of the good oxygen ion-conductive γ phase has been achieved. La addition has significantly increased the lifetime of SOFC due to the improved thermodynamic stability of BIVOX electrolyte in reducing (H2 – fuel) atmosphere. Such fuel cell parameters as: open circuit voltage (OCV), maximum power density (P) and current density (J) in the temperature range 500–800°C and operating time under constant electronic load were determined. Results of the measurements of these electrical parameters for BILAVOX based single cell in function of the operation time and cyclic load changes were also shown. This is the first report on the construction and electrical properties of fuel cells based on BIMEVOX (BIVOX doped with MEtal) ceramics.