Developing air electrodes with high catalytic activity and outstanding durability for the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) is crucial for the commercialization of reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs). Co-free BiFeO3-delta-based perovskite oxides are considered promising air electrode materials owing to the high polarizability of Bi3+ and low oxygen-vacancy migration energy. In this work, we report the synthesis of Bi0.8Ca0.2Fe1-xTixO3-delta (BCFTix, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15) perovskites as efficient air electrodes for RSOCs via A-/B-site co-doping engineering. Ca and Ti co-doping significantly improved the electrochemical performance and operational stability of BiFeO3-based air electrodes. Bi0.8Ca0.2Fe0.9Ti0.1O3-delta (BCFTi0.1) exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity with a polarization resistance of 0.064 Omega cm2 in air at 700 degrees C in symmetrical cells, with a decrease of approximately 48% compared to BCF (0.123 Omega cm2). In addition, BCFTi0.1 possessed excellent CO2 tolerance and exhibited stable electroactivity in 3% CO2-air at 700 degrees C for 100 h. A fuel electrode-supported single cell with the BCFTi0.1 air electrode demonstrated remarkable performance at 700 degrees C, achieving a power density of 1.03 W cm-2 in fuel cell mode, which was about 88% higher than that of BCF (0.6 W cm-2). In electrolysis mode, a current density of 0.9 A cm-2 was obtained at 700 degrees C and 1.3 V with 70% H2O-30% H2. The single cell with the BCFTi0.1 air electrode demonstrated good cycling durability under humidified H2 (10% H2O). The reduced activation energy for oxygen-ion migration and increased oxygen-vacancy concentration via Ca and Ti co-doping promoted surface oxygen exchange and bulk-transport kinetics, leading to enhanced electrocatalytic activity. At the same time, the high acidity of Ti4+ and large average bonding energy enhanced the CO2 tolerance of BCFTi0.1. This study provides a collaborative strategy for the regulation of A/B-site cations to design novel air electrodes with high activity and chemical stability for RSOCs.

Mg is a promising in-situ hydrogen generation material due to the advantages of high hydrogen generation capacity and low cost. Aiming at exploring as-cast Mg alloys with fast hydrolysis kinetics and high conversion rate, Mg-8Ca-xNi (x = 0, 0.6, 1.1, 2.1, wt.%) and Mg-12Ca-ySn (y = 1, 2, 3, wt.%) alloys have been fabricated via solidification in this work. The phase constituent, microstructure and hydrogen generation performance of as-cast Mg-Ca-Ni/Sn alloys have been investigated systematically. Microstructures consisting of primary Mg and eutectic mixtures are observed in both Mg-Ca-Ni and Mg-Ca-Sn ternary alloys. As-cast Mg-Ca-Ni ternary alloys show superior hydrolysis kinetics and almost 100 % hydrolysis conversion rate in simulated seawater. Primary Mg crystals are severely corroded by simulated seawater within initial 10 s with the promotion action of Mg2Ni, arising abundant cracks. Mg-8Ca-2.1Ni alloy generates similar to 915.4 mL g(-1) H-2 within 470 min at 20 degrees C. Matrix activity, optimized microstructure of alternately distributed Mg, Mg2Ca and Mg2Ni phases, and water solution transport assisted by cracks account for the complete hydrolysis of as-cast Mg-Ca-Ni alloys. In contrast, as-cast Mg-Ca-Sn ternary alloys show inferior hydrolysis performance. As-cast Mg-12Ca-2Sn alloy shows a maximum hydrogen yield of similar to 542.1 mL g(-1) within 720 min at 60 degrees C.

Ammonia-fueled protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) are emerging as promising alternatives to H2-fueled PCFCs, offering advantages such as higher energy density and enhanced safety. However, their widespread application is impeded by challenges, including insufficient catalytic activity towards ammonia and limited stability of the anode structure. Herein, we report a rational design for Ni97Co3-BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3-delta (BCZYYb) cermet anodes, aimed at enhancing both catalytic activity and durability for ammonia utilization. The cell featuring the Ni97Co3-BCZYYb anode leverage the synergistic interaction between Ni and Co to enhance ammonia adsorption and nitrogen desorption, resulting in a remarkable 67.8 % increase in power density when operating with NH3 at 600 degrees C. Notably, upon switching the fuel from H2 to NH3, this achieves an unprecedented power retention of 87.2 % at 700 degrees C, representing one of the highest values recorded for ammonia-fueled PCFCs, while most ammonia-fueled cells exhibit power retention in the range of only 60-80 %. Furthermore, the cell with Ni97Co3- BCZYYb cermet anode demonstrates exceptional durability, stable operation over 30 h at 650 degrees C under NH3 with no degradation observed. This longevity is attributed to the excellent sintering resistance of the NiCo alloy, highlighting the potential of the Ni97Co3-BCZYYb cermet anode for long-term applications. This work provides an effective strategy for designing highly active and durable anodes for ammonia-fueled PCFCs.

Double perovskite PrBaFe2O5+s (PBF) is a promising cathode material for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) due to the favorable catalytic activity and superior electrochemical stability. Herein, to further tailor the oxygen-ion transport kinetics and electrochemical performance, unlike the typical approach through using higher valence, non-transition metal In3+ ion doping is initially investigated to partially replace Fe3+/Fe4+ site, forming the compositions of PrBaFe2_xInxO5+s (PBFInx, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15). Xray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that PBFInx exhibit satisfactory chemical and thermal compatibility with the gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) electrolyte. Expectedly, the polarization resistance (Rp) of PBFIn0.1 cathode is decreased by approximately 40 % and an anode-supported single cell with PBFIn0.1 cathode yields a 36 % higher peak power density (PPD) at 800 degrees C compared to that of PBF. Moreover, the single cell using PBFIn0.1 as the cathode can be operated stably at 0.4 A cm_ 2 for more than 50 h without obvious performance degradation. In addition, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirm that the low-valence state In3+ introduced into PBF have a positive impact on the oxygen vacancy concentration and boost the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, thus significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance of the PBF cathode. The results show that the non-transition metal In3+ ion doping is an effective method to improve the performance of the PBF cathode for SOFCs.

Protonic ceramic cells (PCCs) have been identified as promising energy conversion devices, offering flexible fuel options and reduced operating consumption at intermediate temperatures. However, the application of traditional cobalt-based perovskite air electrodes in PCCs is hindered by their insufficient durability and high coefficient of thermal expansion. In this study, a straightforward metal-oxygen bond engineering is conducted, introducing a single-phase perovskite, Ba0.95La0.05(Fe0.8Zn0.2)0.9Ni0.1O3-delta (BLFZN0.1), as a substitution for cobalt-based perovskite. BLFZN0.1 demonstrates superior electrochemical properties, with an area-specific resistance of 0.015 Omega cm2 at 700 degrees C, and demonstrates reliable durability over 100 h. The introduction of Ni element increases the concentration of oxygen defects and enhances the oxygen catalytic activity. As a result, a protonic ceramic fuel cell using BLFZN0.1 air electrode achieves the highest peak power density (1353 mW cm(-)2 at 700 degrees C) yet recorded for cells with BLFZ-based air electrodes. Furthermore, the single cell with BLFZN0.1 exhibits remarkable current density (1.66 A cm-2 at 700 degrees C) in the electrolysis mode, highlighting its potential for application in electrolysis devices. This study presents an effective and straightforward strategy for modifying PCC air electrodes with high electrochemical performance and comparable durability, thereby facilitating their commercial application.

The catalytic activity and structural stability of the fuel electrode are crucial for the durability of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). Herein, A-site deficient (La0.6Sr0.4)0.9Fe0.65Co0.25Nb0.1O3-delta ((LS)0.9FCNb) perovskite oxide is proposed as a potential fuel electrode material for CO2 electrolysis. Driven by the tremendous electron concentration and oxygen partial pressure (pO2) differential, in situ exsolution phenomenon is observed where cobalt cations with low activation energy migrate from deeper inside the lattice to the electrode surface and are reduced to Co nanoparticle within 30 s at an applied voltage of 3 V under CO2 electrolysis conditions. Meanwhile, this study investigates the cobalt metallic exsolution behaviors using two distinct strategies: thermochemical exsolution and electrochemical exsolution. In contrast to the minor lattice expansion observed during thermochemical exsolution under H2 conditions, voltage-driven electrochemical exsolution causes lattice contraction in (LS)0.9FCNb perovskite oxide, contributing to enhanced stability of the metal-perovskite oxide interface and excellent resistance to the oxidation of Co nanoparticles in an oxidizing atmosphere. The exsolved Co nanoparticles anchored on (LS)0.9FCNb (Co-(LS)0.9FCNb) significantly increase the oxygen vacancies and accelerate the kinetic of CO2 adsorption/dissociation. The single cell with the Co-(LS)0.9FCNb-GDC fuel electrode achieves a current density of 1.26 A cm-2 at 1.5 V and 800 degrees C, which is approximately 121 % higher than that of (LS)0.9FCNb-GDC (0.57 A cm-2). Furthermore, the durability test conducted at 1.2 V for 56 h demonstrates remarkable stability and favorable coke deposition resistance of Co-(LS)0.9FCNb for CO2 electrolysis. This work provides a novel approach for designing high electrocatalytic activity and durable fuel electrode by in situ en-gineering the lattice structure of perovskite oxides under high voltages conditions.

Developing efficient and cost-effective bifunctional catalysts is pivotal in advancing Zn-air batteries (ZABs). In this study, a novel bifunctional cathode catalyst (A-rGO/MCO) is developed by anchoring needle-like MnCo2O4.5 (MCO) particles onto a self-assembled reduced graphene oxide aerogel. The A-rGO/MCO exhibits an ORR halfwave potential of 0.79 V (vs. RHE) and an OER potential of 1.68 V (vs. RHE) at a current density of 10 mA cm- 2. Specifically, recharge ZABs fabricated with A-rGO/MCO cathode catalyst displays excellent activity with a power density of as high as 152 mW/cm2, a high discharge specific capacity of 815.1 mAh g- 1. Besides, A-rGO/MCO catalyst demonstrates excellent charge-discharge performance and stability in solid-state ZABs. The synergistic effect of graphene and MCO enhances the catalytic activity, electron transport and structural stability. The strong coupling between MCO and defect-rich reduced graphene aerogel can further increase the specific surface area, increase the active site, also regulate the electron configuration, introduce more defects, and thus improve the bifunctional electrocatalytic activity.

Developing efficient and cost‐effective bifunctional catalysts is pivotal in advancing Zn–air batteries (ZABs). In this study, a novel multiple‐surface modification strategy is presented for MnCo 2 O 4.5 (MCO) spinel electrocatalyst with the pyrolysis of thiourea. The preparation involves a hydrothermal process to obtain MCO, followed by surface modification with varying concentrations of thiourea (10%weight (wt), 30, 50%wt) under nitrogen atmosphere at 300 °C. The 10% wt thiourea‐modified MCO (MCO‐10%T) achieves a half‐wave potential of 0.787 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode for the oxygen reduction reaction and an overpotential of 450 mV at 10 mA cm −2 for the oxygen evolution reaction, rivaling the benchmark Pt/C‐RuO 2 catalyst. This enhanced performance arises from the synergistic effects of sulfur doping, carbon coating, and the hierarchical porous structure introduced by thiourea. These features collectively improve electrical conductivity, increase active site availability, and facilitate charge transfer. When employed as an air cathode catalyst for aqueous ZABs, MCO‐10%T demonstrates a high specific capacity of 800 mAh g −1 , a power density of 154 mW cm −2 , and outstanding charge–discharge cycling stability. This study offers important guidance for designing bifunctional catalysts with enhanced activity and stability, leveraging surface reconstruction strategies tailored for spinel materials.

Developing cost-effective, sustainable, and high-performance air electrode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a significant challenge in the advancement of rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs). Herein, we successfully construct a vacancy-rich heterogeneous perovskite La0.85Y0.15Ni0.7Fe0.3O3 (LYNF) hybridized with Co3O4 spinel nanoparticles using a simple chemical bath-assisted method. The Co3O4 composite LYNF material is systematically evaluated as the bifunctional catalyst for ZABs in the proportion of 25 wt%, 50w t%, and 75 wt% (denoted as LYNF-xCo3O4, x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75). The results confirm an intimate coupling between the perovskite and spinel phases, along with a significant increase in oxygen vacancy concentration. Among the composites, LYNF-0.5Co3O4 exhibits the best performance, achieving an ORR onset potential of 0.813 V vs. RHE at −0.1 mA cm−2 and a lower OER overpotential of 441 mV at 10 mA cm−2. When applied as the air electrode catalyst in ZABs, LYNF-0.5Co3O4 displays the highest discharge voltage and a peak power density of 115 mW cm−2, representing a 20% improvement over pristine LYNF. The enhanced performance of the LYNF-0.5Co3O4 composite is attributed to the accumulation of Co3O4 nanoparticles within the LYNF matrix, which introduces numerous electrochemically active sites and facilitates the charge and mass transport during the catalytic process in ZABs.

Two-dimensional carbon-based materials show considerable promise for applications in a wide range of fields, including aerospace, energy storage, and catalysis, due to their great advantages of abundant carbon resources, relatively low-cost, non-toxicity, and excellent physical and chemical properties. However, their applications in photovoltaics remain limited. Here, we first theoretically predict a stable Sn9C15 monolayer (space group P321). The Sn9C15 monolayer exhibits numerous advantages, which make it an ideal candidate for photovoltaic applications: (1) The Sn9C15 monolayer is a direct bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.70 eV, which is closer to the optimal bandgap of 1.50 eV for photovoltaic devices; (2) the Sn9C15 monolayer exhibits electron mobilities in excess of 2 × 103 cm2 V−1 s−1; (3) the Sn9C15 monolayer shows a direct bandgap of 1.50 eV under a 3% compressive biaxial strain; (4) the Sn9C15 monolayer shows a benign light absorption in the whole visible region (380–780 nm); (5) the Sn9C15 monolayer possesses an optical bandgap of 0.97 eV and an exciton binding energy of 1.63 eV; and (6) the Sn9C15/TMD heterostructures are predicted to have a power conversion efficiency of 9%–23%. In terms of its formation energy, we expect that the Sn9C15 monolayer will be fabricated similarly to the synthesized Si9C15 monolayer. Importantly, the target bandgap of the Sn9C15 monolayer is achieved by the synergistic mechanism of the crystal lattice spacing and the atomic contribution of band edges (referred to as lattice-band edge synergistic mechanism). We anticipate that this synergistic mechanism will facilitate the design of a great number of new materials with targeted bandgaps.

Surface and interface engineering as an efficient and controllable strategy in designing electrode structure has been widely investigated for achieving high catalyst activity and durability of robust electrodes in solid oxide cells (SOCs). The constructed heterojunction structures favor expedited charge transfer and promote the catalytic reaction. Anti-coking La 0.75 Sr 0.25 Cr 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 3-s (LSCM)-based fuel electrodes are considered as promising candidates for alternative Ni-based cermet electrodes in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), however, they suffer from insufficient electrocatalytic activity for CO2 electrolysis. Herein, Mn-containing Pr 0.6 Sr 0.4 FeO 3-s (Pr 0.6 Sr 0.4 Fe 0.8 Mn 0.2 O 3-s , PSFM) nanoparticles with excellent catalyst activity are synthesized and epitaxially grown on the surface of LSCM via infiltration technique. The spontaneous connected interface can provide direct tunnel for oxygen ion and electron transport along the (110) plane of LSCM. Meanwhile, this interface promotes an increase in oxygen vacancies and enhances both surface oxygen exchange and bulk oxygen diffusion capacities. These improvements are advantageous for CO2 adsorption and carbonate dissociation at three phase boundaries (TPBs), leading to a significant enhancement in the kinetics of CO2 reduction reaction. The electrolyte-supported single with PSFM/La 0.75 Sr 0.25 Cr 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 3-s-Gd 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-s (LSCM-GDC) fuel electrode exhibits an impressive current density of 1.09 A cm-2 at the applied voltage of 1.5 V and 800 degrees C, which increases by approximately 336 % than that of LSCM-GDC. In addition, the atomic arrangement enables in-situ formation of PSFM by trapping of surface Sr/Mn atoms on the LSCM surface, avoiding Sr segregation and enhancing the resistance to sulfur poisoning. This study demonstrates a strategy for achieving the enhanced CO2 electrolysis performance and sulfur tolerance by engineering highly active interface.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) have great promise for sustainable energy storage. However, the energy conversion efficiency is limited by the lack of cost-effective bifunctional catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a nonmetallic phosphorus doping strategy in the B-site of MnCo2O4 spinel catalyst via a scalable self-propagating combustion synthesis is developed for ZABs. The optimized MnCo1.90P0.10O4-δ catalyst exhibits exceptional bifunctional activity at 0.1 M KOH, achieving a positive half-wave potential of 0.80 V vs RHE for ORR alone with superior long-term stability (91.92% current density retention after 15000s), and an overpotential of 430 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for OER, which is comparable to commercial Pt/C-RuO2 catalysts. Moreover, when the MnCo1.90P0.10O4-δ applied as the air electrode of ZABs, the ZABs enable a high peak power density of 152 mW cm-2 and stable cycling over 120 h at 10 mA cm-2. Interestingly, phosphorus doping significantly increases the oxygen vacancy concentration and optimizes the Co3+/Co2+ ratio with elevated eg orbital occupancy, synergistically enhancing O2 activation and charge transfer, alongside a 2.5-fold increase in surface area (from 6.88 to 17.25 m2 g-1). This study indicates the critical role of electronic vacancy synergy in boosting bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis, providing a generalizable strategy for spinel-type transition metal oxides in ZABs.

Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite oxides (A(n+1)B(n)O(3n+1)) are promising air electrodes for solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) due to their excellent electrochemical performance and unique structure. Herein, a method of anionic engineering for the oxygen sites of air electrode materials has been proposed in order to further improve the electrocatalytic activity and thermal stability of La2NiO4+s (LNO). La2NiO4+s-xFx (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, denoted as LNOF0, LNOF005, LNOF01, LNOF015) perovskite oxides are synthesized and evaluated as the air electrode for SOECs. Introducing electronegative F- weakens the metal-oxygen bond, optimizes the oxidation environment (e.g., lattice oxygen activity), and improves surface oxygen exchange. The increased ratio of reactive oxygen species accelerates the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process. Moreover, the polarization resistance of LNOF01 is 33.3 % lower than that of the LNO in the same test condition at 800 degrees C. The current densities of the full cell prepared using LNOF01 air electrode for CO2 and H2O electrolysis at 800 degrees C are 1.23 A cm(-2) (70 % CO2-30 % CO, 1.5 V) and 1.04 A cm(-2) (70 % H2O-30 % H-2, 1.3 V), which are enhanced by 25.51 % and 44.44 % compared to the LNO, respectively. In the stability tests, the LNOF01 half-cell maintains stability for more than 170 h at 0.5 A cm(-2) and 800 degrees C, and the full cell tests with the electrolysis of CO2 and H2O maintains stability for more than 50 h at as high as 1 A cm(-2) and 800 degrees C, respectively. This study provides a rational design strategy for constructing high-performance SOECs air electrodes and demonstrates the potential of air electrode anion engineering for SOECs applications.

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) can afford renewable electricity storage and realize the conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals, but the high-temperature operating environment necessitates the advancement of efficient and durable catalysts. La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3 (LSCM) is recognized as a promising SOEC fuel electrode material due to its excellent redox stability and CO2 electrolysis durability but suffers from insufficient catalytic activity. La0.75Sr0.2Ca0.05Cr0.5Mn0.5O3 (LSCCM) was found to yield an improved electrochemical performance via Ca doping in our previous study and is anticipated to be further optimized. Herein, in order to enlarge the active boundaries for CO2 adsorption and conversion, the nanosized LaCo0.6Ni0.4O3-delta (LCN) catalyst is in situ formed on the stable LSCCM-GDC (Gd doped CeO2) composite layer surface via a vacuum infiltration method. The addition of LCN reduces the electrode polarization resistance by 69% in a CO2 atmosphere at OCV, 800 degrees C. The electrolyte-supported single cell with the LCN/LSCCM-GDC fuel electrode achieves over a 103% increase in electrolysis current density compared to that with the bare LSCCM-GDC at 800 degrees C and 1.6 V. The significant improvement can be ascribed to the enhanced chemical adsorption of CO2, increased conductivity and oxygen surface exchange after LCN surface modification. In addition, a robust operation for CO2 reduction is obtained due to the stable skeleton structure as well as the synergistic effect of multiple components of the fuel electrode. This study not only strengthens the modification of the LCN nanoparticle catalyst towards LSCM-based fuel electrodes, but also offers an effective avenue for constructing strong-binding active interfaces with multiple transmission channels for material optimization.

Protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs) have attracted significant interest because of their efficiency and environmental sustainability in energy conversion. However, their commercial application is hindered by the absence of effective and robust electrodes capable of operating in harsh environments, such as those characterized by high vapor or CO2 concentrations. In this study, we developed a stable steam electrode composed of PrBaMn2O5+δ (PBM) and the durable proton conductor BaZr0.85Y0.15O3−δ (BZY), which was enhanced with the deposition of PrOx nano-catalysts. The composite electrode exhibited a low polarization resistance (~0.34 Ω·cm² at 600 °C), comparable to that of conventional cobalt-based electrodes. Additionally, extensive testing over hundreds of hours under severe conditions revealed exceptional durability, with no significant degradation observed. Notably, the electrode composited with cube-shaped BZY microcrystals and PBM showed a higher proton conductivity of 2.15×10−5 S·cm−¹ at 500 °C, representing an entire order of magnitude greater than that of the electrode composited with irregular nanosized BZY. In addition, the single cell achieved a superior electrolysis current of 2.0 A·cm−2 at 700 °C and 1.3 V. These findings demonstrate the superiority of constructing an innovative interface between the mixed ionic‒electronic conductor (MIEC) and the proton conductor. Our work presents a promising strategy for designing durable steam electrodes for PCECs through a rational compositing approach.

Mg is recognized as a potential material for on-site hydrogen production due to its high capacity for hydrogen generation and cost-effectiveness. Aiming at exploring bulk Mg-based hydrogen generation material with fast hydrolysis kinetics and high conversion rate based on Mg alloy waste, AZ91D-Ni alloys with different Ni contents are prepared via melting in a resistance furnace at similar to 850 degrees C in this work, using AZ91D alloy waste and pure Ni as raw materials. The phase constituent, microstructure and hydrogen generation performance of as-cast AZ91D-Ni alloys have been investigated. AlNi phase with cuboid shape is found in as-cast AZ91D-Ni alloys, which significantly promotes the hydrolysis performance of Mg. The primary Mg crystals are rapidly corroded by artificial seawater within the first 20 s at 20 degrees C, with AlNi phase accelerating the corrosion process and leading to the formation of numerous cracks. AZ91D-8Ni alloy can be completely hydrolyzed within similar to 620 min at 50 degrees C, generating similar to 748.3 mL g(- 1) H-2. This work introduces an innovative method to the production of cost-effective bulk Mg-based materials with excellent hydrolysis kinetics and melting of high melting point metals at lower temperatures.

Symmetrical solid oxide fuel cell (S-SOFC) has gained extensive attention for its simplifying fabrication process and reducing cost. Fe-based double perovskite PrBaFe2O5+delta (PBF) is a potential electrode material for S-SOFC due to the excellent mixed electronic and oxygen ionic conductivity. However, the electrochemical performance of PBF is limited by lacking enough oxygen vacancies and the sluggish oxygen-ion transport kinetics. Herein, a BaCoO3-delta(BCO) impregnated PBF (PBF-BCO) electrode is investigated with enhanced catalytic activity. The BCO decoration can significantly decrease the polarization resistance (Rp) by approximately 36.5% and 26.0% compared to PBF at 800 degrees C in air and hydrogen atmosphere, respectively. The peak power density (PPD) of an electrolyte-supported S-SOFC with PBF-BCO electrode is nearly 36% higher than that of PBF electrode. The prominent electrochemical performance of the PBF-BCO electrode is attributed to the significantly accelerated oxygen adsorption/dissociation processes, which promote the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and enhanced charge transfer processes in H2 atmosphere for superior hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). The results demonstrate that the BCO impregnated PBF is one of the promising electrode materials for S-SOFC.

LiCoO2 has become the most widely used cathode material in lithium-ion batteries because of its high capacity and excellent stability. The high-temperature solid-state method is commonly used for the preparation of LiCoO2. However, this method will produce highly penetrating Li2O, which causes spall or fracture of the insulating refractory materials in the kiln. In this study, the corrosion resistance of bubble alumina, mullite, and calcium hexaaluminate (CA(6)) insulating refractories to LiCoO2 has been thoroughly investigated. Combining the laboratory-scale interfacial reaction experiments with post-experimental life cycle analysis of industrial insulating refractories, the interaction between the insulating refractory materials and LiCoO2 after calcination at 900 degrees C for 5 h and the corrosion behavior of LiCoO2 on different insulating refractory materials following heat treatment at 900 degrees C for 5 h every time and repeated seven times are investigated. The corrosion mechanisms are concluded by analyzing the physicochemical composition and macro- and micromorphology of the three insulating refractory materials before and after corrosion. The results can provide a basis for the use of insulating refractories in the development of lithium batteries.

Co-free Bi0.5Sr0.5FeO3-delta perovskite as a novel oxygen electrode shows good electrochemical performance for solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). In this work, W-doped Bi0.5Sr0.5Fe1-xWxO3-delta (BSFWx, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) perovskite oxides were prepared and evaluated for CO2 electrolysis in SOECs to further promote its oxygen catalytic activity. All the samples maintain a single-phase structure, and the BSFW0.1 sample presents the lowest polarization resistance value of about 0.067 omega cm2, which is 47 % smaller than that of the BSF sample. Moreover, the BSFW0.1 half-cell exhibits good stability for 84 h under 0.5 A cm-2 anodizing polarization at 800 degrees C. The fuel electrode-supported BSFW0.1 single cell reaches a current density of 0.63 A cm-2, which is an improvement of approximately 33.8 % compared with of BSF under 1.5 V when the temperature and feed gas are 800 degrees C and 50 % CO2-50 % CO, respectively. This prominent performance is ascribed to creating more oxygen vacancies concentration by W doping, which promotes the transport of oxygen species. These outstanding electrochemical properties demonstrate that BSFW0.1 oxide is a promising potential oxygen electrode electrocatalyst for CO2 electrolysis in SOECs.