Characterization of novel Ba2LnMoO6 (Ln = Pr and Nd) double perovskite as the anode material for hydrocarbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cells

Ba2LnMoO6 (Ln = Pr and Nd), with a double perovskite structure, has been investigated as an efficient anode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating under methane fuel. Ba2LnMoO6 (Ln = Pr and Nd) powders were successfully synthesized by a citric acid ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (CA-EDTA) combustion technique. Ba2LnMoO6 (Ln = Pr and Nd) was thermally and morphologically stable at high temperature and chemically compatible with the Gd0.2Ce0.8O1.8 (GDC) electrolyte. The electrical conductivities of Ba2PrMoO6 and Ba2NdMoO6 were 348.5 and 146 Scm−1 under humidified CH4 at 800 °C, respectively. However, Ba2LnMoO6 (Ln = Pr and Nd) exhibits better catalytic activity for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) than for the methane oxidation reaction (MOR); this is due to the presence of deposited carbon, which blocks the fuel path during the overall methane oxidation process.