Slightly ruthenium doping enables better alloy nanoparticle exsolution of perovskite anode for high-performance direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells

Fuel flexibility is one of the most distinguished advantages of solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)over other low-temperature fuel cells.Furthermore,the combination of ammonia fuel and SOFCs technology should be a promising clean energy system after considering the high energy density,easy transportation/storage,matured synthesis technology and carbon-free nature of NH_(3) as well as high efficiency of SOFCs.However,the large-scale applications of direct-ammonia SOFCs(DASOFCs)are strongly limited by the inferior anti-sintering capability and catalytic activity for ammonia decomposition reaction of conventional nickel-based cermet anode.Herein,a slightly ruthenium(Ru)doping in perovskite oxides is proposed to promote the alloy nanoparticle exsolution,enabling better DA-SOFCs with enhanced power outputs and operational stability.After treating Ru-doped Pr_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)Co_(0.2)Fe_(0.75)Ru_(0.05)O_(3-δ) single-phase perovskite in a reducing atmosphere,in addition to the formation of two layered Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites and Pr_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles(the same as the Ru-free counterpart,Pr_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)Co_(0.2)Fe_(0.8)O_(3-δ)),the exsolution of CoFeRu-based alloy nanoparticles is remarkably promoted.Such reduced Pr_(0.6)Sr0.4Co_(0.2)Fe_(0.75)Ru_(0.05)O_(3-δ) composite anode shows superior catalytic activity and stability for NH_(3) decomposition reaction as well as anti-sintering capability in DA-SOFCs to those of reduced Pr0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O_(3-δ)due to the facilitated nanoparticle exsolution and stronger nanoparticle/substrate interaction.This work provides a facile and effective strategy to design highly active and durable anodes for DA-SOFCs,promoting large-scale applications of this technology.