Abstract:
Developing high ionic conducting electrolytes is crucial for applying proton-conducting fuel cell (PCFCs) practically. The current study investigates the effect of alumina on the structural, morphological, electrical, and electrochemical properties of CeO
2. Lattice oxygen vacancies are induced in CeO
2 by a general doping concept that enables fast ionic conduction at low-temperature ranges (300–500°C) for PCFCs. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns established the pure cubic fluorite structure of Al-doped CeO
2 (ADC) samples and confirmed Al ions’ fruitful integration in the CeO
2 lattice. The electronic structure of the alumina-doped ceria of the materials (10ADC, 20ADC, and 30ADC) has been investigated. As a result, it was found that the best composition of 30ADC-based electrolytes induced maximum lattice oxygen vacancies. The corresponding PCFC exhibited a maximum power output of 923 mW/cm
2 at 500°C. Moreover, the investigation proves the proton-conducting ability of alumina-doped ceria-based fuel cells by using an oxide ion-blocking layer.