Studies of iron based perovskites for cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells.

This project concerns the systematic search for new cathode electrode materials amoung novel cobalt oxide based perovskites, to be used in solid oxide electrolyte fuel cells (SOFC). A good cathode material for a SOFC should be have high electronic and ionic transport properties, good catalytic activity towards the reduction of oxygen, high chemical stability and low mechanical strain at the running temperatures, 500-1000°C. The large flexibility of the electronic structure of cobalt and the adaptability of the perovskite structure makes it most probable possible to obtain such materials in those systems by tuning the properties of such compounds by small variations at the cation and anion positions. Small changes in the synthetic conditions can lead to fine structural changes leading to significant changes in the properties.

It is important to understand the relation between the composition, crystal structure and electronic structure. We therefore want to combine detail synthetic studies with careful structural investigations using neutron diffraction data and properties measurements. We will also make in situ neutron diffraction studies of how the compound respond upon high temperatures 500-1000°C and variation in oxygen partial pressures. Based on this knowledge new cathode materials will be made and evaluated in SOFC.

The project is a collaboration with Professor E. Antipov and Dr. S. Istomin at the Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University.