Structural and electrical study of novel Ba3SrNb2O9 triple perovskite based solid electrolyte for LT-SOFCs

Abstract

Solid Electrolytes (SOE) with high ionic conductivity highly desirable in order to improve the efficiency of SOFCs at lower functioning temperature range) (350–500 °C). Triple perovskite Ba3SrNb2O9 based proton ion conductor have up-and-coming to enhance ionic conductivity at Low temperature range (LT) (350–500 °C). With this motivation we have successfully synthesized Ba3SrNb2O9 (BSNO) by solgel combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms the formation of Triclinic crystal structure having space group P1, having lattice dimensions (a = 5.89340 Å, b = 5.88760 Å, c = 7.27360 Å). Rietveld Refinement of XRD data was carried out to get detail structural information by Full-Prof suite software. Electrical performance of the BSNO system were systematically studied by Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopy at functioning temperature 350–500 °C with interval of 50 °C. BSNO system exhibit conductivity of the order of 5.8 × 10−3 Scm−1 at 500 °C with the activation energy of the range of 0.48 eV. Charge Relaxations phenomenon very systematically explored by impedance loss spectra and it is very correlate with Modulus (M’’) as a function of frequency at several temperatures which used to clarify the charge relaxation dynamics in proton ion conducting BSNO material.