A novel fuel electrode enabling direct CO2 electrolysis with excellent and stable cell performance

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) can directly convert CO2 to CO and O2 that are important building blocks for chemical production and other applications. However, the use of SOECs for direct CO2 electrolysis has been hampered mainly due to the absence of a stable, highly catalytically active and cost effective cathode (fuel electrode) material. Here we report a ceramic SOEC cathode material of perovskite-structured Sr1.9Fe1.5Mo0.4Ni0.1O6−δ for direct CO2 electrolysis. By annealing at 800 °C in H2, homogeneously dispersed nano-sized NiFe alloy nanoparticles are exsolved from the Sr1.9Fe1.5Mo0.4Ni0.1O6−δ perovskite lattice. The exsolved NiFe nanoparticles significantly enhance the chemical adsorption and surface reaction kinetics of CO2 with the cathode. SOECs with the novel cathode have demonstrated a peak current density of 2.16 A cm−2 under an applied voltage of 1.5 V at 800 °C and have demonstrated stable direct CO2 electrolysis performance during 500 h of operation under current density above 1 A cm−2 at 800 °C.

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