Stability and activity controls of Cu nanoparticles for high-performance solid oxide fuel cells

Cu-based electrodes could advance solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) technology due to good electric conductivity and relatively high electrochemical activity among transition metals. However, one of the main challenges for designing anode materials is thermal stability in SOFC operation condition. Herein, a promising anode material decorated with Cu nanoparticles (NPs) was synthesized via in-situ exsolution from La_0.43Sr_0.37Cu_0.12Ti_0.88O_3-δ (LSCuT) perovskite. Compared to infiltration process, Cu NPs prepared by in-situ exsolution displayed homogeneous nano size distribution on the substrate and excellent thermal stability at 600 °C in H₂ atmosphere, for ∼50 h. In addition, we employed electrochemical reduction (ER) at 2.3 V for a few seconds to demonstrate that NPs can be rapidly grown, and the substrate reduced. A single cell with LSCuT anode (10 μm)||ScSZ electrolyte (90 μm) ||LSM-ScSZ cathode (20 μm) exhibits maximum power density of 1.38 Wcm⁻² at 900 °C under wet H₂. The present study provides possibility of a broad application of thermally stable Cu-based electrodes.