SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL CATHODE MATERIALS FOR USE IN SOFCs

Mattia Miglietta

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL CATHODE MATERIALS FOR USE IN SOFCs.

Rel. Federico Smeacetto. Politecnico di Torino, Master of science program in Materials Engineering, 2021

Abstract

Synthesis and characterization of novel cathode materials for use in SOFCs. This master thesis has been carried out at Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid and Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain; it focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) cathodes. SOFCs are high-temperature electrochemical devices for the direct conversion of chemical energy into electrical and thermal energy with low environmental impact and high efficiency. In particular, the chemical compositions of the studied cathodes derive from a theoretical model based on the search for perovskite cathode materials, ABO3, with high electrocatalytic properties, high thermodynamic stability, and cheap and widely available chemical precursors.

On top of that, this theoretical model proposed the O-p band center of the oxygen atom as a new design principle for SOFC cathodes as opposed to the more established d band center of the transition metal with which it forms the ionic-covalent bond responsible for the electronic and ionic conduction processes