New SrMo1−xCrxO3−δ perovskites as anodes in solid-oxide fuel cells

Oxides of composition SrMo1−xCrxO3−δ (x = 0.1, 0.2) have been prepared, characterized and tested as anode materials in single solid-oxide fuel cells, yielding output powers higher than 700 mW cm−2 at 850 °C with pure H2 as a fuel. All the materials are suggested to present mixed ionic–electronic conductivity (MIEC) from neutron powder diffraction (NPD) experiments, complemented with transport measurements; the presence of a Mo4+/Mo5+ mixed valence at room temperature, combined with a huge metal-like electronic conductivity, as high as 340 S cm−1 at T = 50 °C for x = 0.1, could make these oxides good materials for solid-oxide fuel cells. The magnitude of the electronic conductivity decreases with increasing Cr-doping content. The reversibility of the reduction–oxidation between the oxidized Sr(Mo,Cr)O4−δ scheelite and the reduced Sr(Mo,Cr)O3 perovskite phases was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, which exhibit the required cyclability for fuel cells. An adequate thermal expansion coefficient, without abrupt changes, and a chemical compatibility with electrolytes make these oxides good candidates for anodes in intermediate-temperature SOFC (IT-SOFCs).