Highly Efficient and Redox Stable Layered Perovskite Ceramic Anode for Hydrocarbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Perovskite oxides with variable oxygen non-stoichiometry play a prominent role in many fields, including fuel cells, catalysis and gas storage.  One interesting class of materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are cation ordered layered perovskite oxides due to their mixed ionic and electronic conductivity and fast oxygen kinetics. Even though progress has been made in cathode materials to lower the cathodic polarization, still it is also important for fuel cell technology to achieve efficient anode that meets the requirements for long term stability with enhanced tolerance to carbon buildup (coking) and sulfur contamination (poisoning) from hydrocarbon fuels. Here, we report identification of cation ordered layered perovskite oxide, PrBaMn₂O_5+δ redox-stable anode, with superior electrochemical performance in both hydrogen and hydrocarbons. Cation ordered PrBaMn₂O_5+δ are fabricated by the in-situ annealing of disordered Pr_0.5Ba_0.5MnO_3-δ in reducing atmosphere directly from the fuel cell support. Our anode material shows high electrical conductivity of 8.16 S cm^-1 in 5% H₂ at 800 ^oC and demonstrates a peak power density ~1.3 Wcm^-2 at 850 ^oC using propane as fuel.