Strategic atomic trapping at heterointerfaces for protonic ceramic cells
Engineering dynamic heterointerfaces with atomic precision is critical for unlocking the full potential of reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells in sustainable energy conversion, while minimizing precious metal use in composite electrodes. Here, we introduce an atomic trapping strategy that restructures the interfacial chemistry of Ba<sub>0.5</sub>Sr<sub>0.5</sub>Co<sub>0.8</sub>Fe<sub>0.2</sub>O<sub>3-δ</sub> perovskite and Ru@CeO<sub>2-δ</sub> fluorite heteroelectrodes, achieving catalytic synergy through manipulating Ru coordination environment. A scalable co-sintering protocol induces thermodynamically driven Ru migration from the CeO<sub>2</sub> lattice into the perovskite matrix, creating coupled interfaces. This optimizes interfacial electron redistribution, generates interfacial oxygen vacancies, and improves triple conductivity and hydration kinetics. The electrode with low Ru loading exhibits bifunctionality, delivering a peak power density of 1.51 W cm<sup>-2</sup> and an electrolysis current density of -2.21 A cm<sup>-2</sup> at 650 °C. It demonstrates notable durability with minimal degradation (0.09 mV h<sup>-1</sup>) over 400 h at 600 °C, providing a universal strategy for next-generation solid-state energy devices.
Authors
- Min‐Hsin Yeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6150-4750)
- Zhiwei Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0324-2227)
- Yuxiao Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4194-9525)
- Jin Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6761-3408)
- Zongping Shao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4538-4218)
- Yinlong Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9207-2452)
- Chih‐Wen Pao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7681-4391)
- Zuoqing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5321-3287)
- Zhixin Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3968-816X)
- Desheng Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8156-4056)
- Ruixi Qiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3607-432X)
- Wei‐Hsiang Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9503-0373)
- Nai Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2597-2258)
- Guangming Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3792-5018)
- Dongliang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6941-607X)
- Wei Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0322-095X)
- Ran Ran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9350-1389)
- Yuesheng Bai
- Haosong Di
Institutions
- Jiangsu Normal University (CN)
- Nanjing Tech University (CN)
- Zhejiang Normal University (CN)
- National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (TW)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Curtin University (AU)
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (TW)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (DE)
- Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-11-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65386-8
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.52