title: Natural Mineral-Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Heterogeneous Nanocomposite Derived from Hematite and Rare-Earth Minerals.
abstract: Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have attracted much attention worldwide because of their potential for providing clean and reliable electric power. However, their commercialization is subject to the high operating temperatures and costs. To make SOFCs more competitive, here we report a novel and attractive nanocomposite hematite-LaCePrOx (hematite-LCP) synthesized from low-cost natural hematite and LaCePr-carbonate mineral as an electrolyte candidate. This heterogeneous composite exhibits a conductivity as high as 0.116 S cm(-1) at 600 °C with an activation energy of 0.50 eV at 400-600 °C. For the first time, a fuel cell using such a natural mineral-based composite demonstrates a maximum power density of 625 mW cm(-2) at 600 °C and notable power output of 386 mW cm(-2) at 450 °C. The extraordinary ionic conductivity and device performances are primarily attributed to the heterophasic interfacial conduction effect of the hematite-LCP composite. These superior properties, along with the merits of ultralow cost, abundant storage, and eco-friendliness, make the new composite a highly promising material for commercial SOFCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) , Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden.|Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Technology, Hubei University , Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) , Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden.
authors.forename: Yixiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) , Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden.|Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Technology, Hubei University , Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Baoyuan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Technology, Hubei University , Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan 430074, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) , Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden.|Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Physics and Electronic Technology, Hubei University , Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: SOFCs; heterogeneous nanocomposite; interfacial conduction; natural hematite; rare-earth LCP-carbonate mineral