HUANG Zuzhi ¹, ZHANG Huilin ¹, LUO Linghong ², WANG Shaorong ^1,3

(1. School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Materials and Devices, Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute, Jingdezhen 333001, Jiangxi, China; 3. Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory of High Efficient Energy Storage Technology and Equipments, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu, China)

Abstract: The proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H-SOFCs) are promising devices that convert chemical energy to electricity for a wide range of applications. Cathode materials are the research focus of H-SOFCs, because the performance of H-SOFCs depends mainly on the activities of cathode. This article is aimed to review the progress in the cathode materials of H-SOFCs, including reaction mechanism, H₂O uptake and the characteristics of the three phase boundaries. The design of materials with high activity, strong CO₂ tolerance and matched coefficients of thermal expansion with electrolyte will be discussed. Finally, challenges in the development of the cathode materials of H-SOFC are highlighted and the research prospects of H-SOFCs are outlined.
Key words: H-SOFC; cathode materials; reaction mechanism; thermal expansion coefficient; CO₂ resistance