Ni–Doped Pr0.7Ba0.3MnO3−δ Cathodes for Enhancing Electrolysis of CO2 in Solid Oxide Electrolytic Cells

Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) can electro-reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, which not only effectively utilizes greenhouse gases, but also converts excess electrical energy into chemical energy. Perovskite-based oxides with exsolved metal nanoparticles are promising cathode materials for direct electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ through SOECs, and have thus received increasing attention. In this work, we doped Pr_0.7Ba_0.3MnO_3-δ at the B site, and after reduction treatment, metal nanoparticles exsolved and precipitated on the surface of the cathode material, thereby establishing a stable metal-oxide interface structure and significantly improving the electrocatalytic activity of the SOEC cathode materials. Through research, among the Pr_0.7Ba_0.3Mn_1-xNi_xO_3-δ (PBMN_x = 0-1) cathode materials, it has been found that the Pr_0.7Ba_0.3Mn_0.9Ni_0.1O_3-δ (PBMN_0.1) electrode material exhibits greater catalytic activity, with a CO yield of 5.36 mL min^-1 cm^-2 and a Faraday current efficiency of ~99%. After 100 h of long-term testing, the current can still remain stable and there is no significant change in performance. Therefore, the design of this interface has increasing potential for development.