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Title: Oxygen Reduction Kinetics Enhancement on a 2 Heterostructured Oxide Surface for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jz101217d· OSTI ID:990251

Heterostructured interfaces of oxides, which can exhibit transport and reactivity characteristics remarkably different from those of bulk oxides, are interesting systems to explore in search of highly active cathodes for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we show that the ORR of {approx}85 nm thick La{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}CoO{sub 3-{delta}} (LSC{sub 113}) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on (001)-oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates is dramatically enhanced ({approx} 3-4 orders of magnitude above bulk LSC{sub 113}) by surface decorations of (La{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}){sub 2}CoO{sub 4{+-}{delta}} (LSC{sub 214}) with coverage in the range from {approx}0.1 to {approx}15 nm. Their surface and atomic structures were characterized by atomic force, scanning electron, and scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the ORR kinetics were determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Although the mechanism for ORR enhancement is not yet fully understood, our results to date show that the observed ORR enhancement can be attributed to highly active interfacial LSC{sub 113}/LSC{sub 214} regions, which were shown to be atomically sharp.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Shared Research Equipment Collaborative Research Center
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
990251
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 10.1021, Issue 10.1021
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English