A polymer-assistant for novel semiconductor-ionic membrane solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

ABSTRACT Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a kind of adhesive with high stability and good resistance to chemical corrosion, and it has been applied in various fields. In this work, PVDF was introduced into a semiconducting-ionic conductor material to fabricate a new electrolyte for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). We prepared the LaCePr-carbonates (LCP)-Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6−δ (SFM) in various mass ratios. A remarkable maximum power output of 505 mW cm−2 was attained along with a high open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.04 V at 550°C by the 8LCP-2SFM sample. The electrical properties of the composites with different weight ratios were studied through EIS measurements and polarization curves. It was found that performance can be enhanced by introducing an appropriate PVDF into an LCP-SFM composite. The composite of 8LCP-2SFM with wt. 3% PVDF exhibits a higher power output, that is up to 671 mW cm−2, than other composite samples at 550°C. Interestingly, the performance can be further improved by a low temperature heat treatment. These findings confirm that mixing an appropriate PVDF into a composite is an effective way to improve the performance of the cells as well as the mechanical properties.