Issue 3, 2022

Water as a hole-predatory instrument to create metal nanoparticles on triple-conducting oxides

Abstract

Single-phase materials with mixed ionic and electronic conductivity underpin multiple solid-state electrochemical devices as promising electrodes. In particular, triple-conducting oxides that carry protons, oxygen ions, and electron holes simultaneously have ushered in a breakthrough in improving the performance of ceramic fuel cells, but insufficient electrochemical activity on their surface remains a challenge with regard to the development of related technologies. Here, we present a novel methodology that spontaneously yields transition metal nanocatalysts well dispersed on triple-conducting oxide surfaces realized by simply supplying water vapor with a room-temperature bubbler. The central idea underlying this strategy is the hydrogenation reaction that occurs in protonic ceramics containing redox-active transition metals and the subsequent selective surface phase decomposition. As a case study, Ag-substituted BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.1Y0.1O3−δ is chosen to exemplify the markedly enhanced electrode performance in a fuel cell. The water vapor generated during the operation induces the precipitation of Ag nanoparticles and significantly lowers the electrode resistance to a record level (e.g., 1.20 W cm−2 at 650 °C). These observations suggest a new design direction for oxide-supported catalysts with multiple charge carriers.

Graphical abstract: Water as a hole-predatory instrument to create metal nanoparticles on triple-conducting oxides

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Sep 2021
Accepted
24 Dec 2021
First published
27 Dec 2021

Energy Environ. Sci., 2022,15, 1097-1105

Water as a hole-predatory instrument to create metal nanoparticles on triple-conducting oxides

J. H. Kim, J. Hong, D. Lim, S. Ahn, J. Kim, J. K. Kim, D. Oh, S. Jeon, S. Song and W. Jung, Energy Environ. Sci., 2022, 15, 1097 DOI: 10.1039/D1EE03046A

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