Single-phase electronic-ionic conducting Sm3+/Pr3+/Nd3+ triple-doped ceria for new generation fuel cell technology

Co-doped CeO2 materials have exhibited promising potential for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) applications. Sm3+, Pr3+ and Nd3+ triple-doped ceria has been synthesized via two-step wet chemical approach. First samarium doped ceria (SDC) was prepared and then the Pr3+/Nd3+ ions as doping elements (secondary process) was added. The structural structure was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), that indicate Sm3+, Pr3+ and Nd3+ ions are doped into the ceria lattice up to the certain limit (Pr3+/Nd3+ 10 wt%). The impurity peaks are detected as doping contents increased above the certain limit (Pr3+/Nd3+ 20 wt %). In this work, further we investigated the effect increasing Pr3+/Nd3+ doping concentration on the performance of SOFC device. Here, we studied that high-concentration triple-doped ceria samples with mixed electrons/ions conductive property, as the semiconductor-ionic conducting layer, combined with commercial p-type semiconductor Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05LiO2-δ (NCAL) to fabricate the 'sandwich' configuration for a developing fuel cell technology-electrolyte free fuel cells (EFFCs). This button size fuel cell delivered a maximum power output of 1011 mW cm−2. The demonstrated findings show that the single-phase semiconductor-ionic material-Sm3+/Pr3+/Nd3+ triple-doped CeO2 can be selected potential candidate for the further development the EFFC technology.