An experimental insight into the Zn and Gd dopants impact on CeO2 electrolyte for LT-SOFC applications

Abstract

The longevity and durability of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) can be enhanced by lowering their operating temperature. The present work synthesizes Zinc Doped Ceria (ZDC) and Gadolinium Doped Ceria (GDC) nanocomposites (NC's), for low-temperature SOFC applications, using a cost-effective co-precipitation hydrothermal route. By strategically incorporating Zn and Gd as dopants, significant advancements in structural, morphological, and ionic properties can be observed in this study using XRD, FTIR, SEM, XPS, TGA, and EIS characterizations. Structural and morphological analyses confirm controlled crystallite growth and optimized defect chemistry, with Zn enhancing oxygen vacancy formation for superior ionic transport, while Gd improves redox stability The ionic conductivity calculated for ZDC electrolytes at two distinct temperatures were 0.146 and 0.141 S/cm for 500 °C and 600 °C, respectively. These findings provide new insights into optimizing ceria-based electrolytes, offering a promising pathway for next-generation energy materials.