Cobalt free SrFe0.95Nb0.05O3−δ cathode material for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells with BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3−δ electrolyte

•The SrFe0.95Nb0.05O3−δ cathode material was explored for proton-conducting SOFC.•The cathode material shows good compatibility with BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3−δ electrolyte.•The single cell showed high peak power densities and low polarization resistances.

A novel cobalt-free cubic perovskite SrFe0.95Nb0.05O3−δ (SFNb) was synthesized and investigated as cathode for proton-conducting solid state fuel cell (H-SOFC) with BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3−δ (BZCY) as the electrolyte. Anode supported NiO-BZCY/BZCY/SFNb cell was fabricated and the performance was investigated. A peak power density of 538 mW cm−2 and a low polarization resistance of 0.23 Ω cm2 were obtained at 650 °C with hydrogen as the fuel and air as the oxidant. No obvious cell degradation was observed during the 50 h test. All the results indicated that the cobalt-free SFNb oxide is a promising cathode material for H-SOFCs.