XRD and DC Conductivity Studies of CeO2-BaO Anode Catalyst for the Robust Proton Ceramic Fuel Cell Applications

Abstract

Proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) demand anode materials that can operate efficiently in both hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels. Hence, an anode reforming layer (ARL) is often introduced to enhance catalytic activity, suppress carbon deposition, and improve fuel utilization during direct hydrocarbon operation. Among various types of catalysts used as ARL, rare-earth and metal oxide-based materials are employed to ensure adequate electrical conductivity, compatibility with the anode support, and good structural stability under high temperatures. In this work, the calcined BaO and CeO₂ powders with three different ratios: 40 wt.% CeO₂–60 wt.% BaO (S1), 50 wt.% CeO₂–50 wt.% BaO (S2), and 60 wt.% CeO₂–40 wt.% BaO (S3) are dry-pressed into a 25 mm pellet, followed by solid-state sintering at T = 1050 °C. Analyses of XRD revealed that the S1, S2 and S3 (a) showed both cubic CeO₂–BaO phases with space group Fm-3m, and (b) consisting of a secondary phase of BaCO₃. At T = 600 °C, S2 exhibited the highest surface conductivity value (0.76 S/cm) compared to S1 (0.58 S/cm) and S3 (0.68 S/cm), making it a great potential as a high-temperature catalyst for ARL in PCFCs applications.