Al<sup>3+</sup> doped CeO<sub>2</sub> for proton conducting fuel cells

Sarfraz; Shahzad Rasool; Muhammad Khalid; M.A.K. Yousaf Shah; Bin Zhu; Jung-Sik Kim; Muhammad Imran Asghar; Nabeela Akbar; Wenjing Dong

doi:10.1007/s12613-024-2910-z

Volume 31 Issue 10

Oct. 2024

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials > 2024 > 31(10): 2253-2262

Sarfraz, Shahzad Rasool, Muhammad Khalid, M.A.K. Yousaf Shah, Bin Zhu, Jung-Sik Kim, Muhammad Imran Asghar, Nabeela Akbar, and Wenjing Dong, Al³⁺ doped CeO₂ for proton conducting fuel cells, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 31(2024), No. 10, pp. 2253-2262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2910-z

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Sarfraz, Shahzad Rasool, Muhammad Khalid, M.A.K. Yousaf Shah, Bin Zhu, Jung-Sik Kim, Muhammad Imran Asghar, Nabeela Akbar, and Wenjing Dong, Al3+ doped CeO2 for proton conducting fuel cells, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 31(2024), No. 10, pp. 2253-2262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2910-z

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Research Article

Al³⁺ doped CeO₂ for proton conducting fuel cells

+ Author Affiliations

Corresponding authors:
Bin Zhu    E-mail: zhu-bin@seu.edu.cn

Nabeela Akbar    E-mail: nabeela4426@gmail.com

Wenjing Dong    E-mail: wenjingd@hubu.edu.cn
Received: 13 December 2023; Revised: 4 April 2024; Accepted: 15 April 2024; Available online: 16 April 2024

Abstract

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 CeO₂. Lattice oxygen vacancies are induced in CeO₂ 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 CeO₂ (ADC) samples and confirmed Al ions’ fruitful integration in the CeO₂ 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/cm² 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.
- proton ceramic fuel cells;
- oxygen vacancies;
- higher fuel cell performance;
- doping;
- fast ions transportation

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