A bifunctional cathode enabling efficient decomposition and utilization of nitrous oxide in protonic ceramic fuel cells for power generation

Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have been recognized as promising power generation devices for future clean energy systems, owing to their relatively low activation energy for proton migration and high energy conversion efficiency. In certain application scenarios, the use of N₂O (a potent greenhouse gas), as an alternative oxidant to air, presents a feasible strategy. Herein, we report for the first time the operation of PCFCs employing N₂O as the oxidant. A hybrid Pr₂Ni_0.6Co_0.4O_4−δ (PNCO-214) catalyst is developed, comprising Ruddlesden–Popper (R–P) structured Pr₄Ni_1.8Co_1.2O_10−δ (PNCO-4310) and fluorite structured Pr₆O₁₁ (PO-611), which synergistically exhibits exceptional catalytic activity toward both N₂O decomposition and the oxygen reduction reaction, achieving a conversion over 92% and an area specific resistance of 1.301 Ω·cm² at 600 °C. Quasi-in-situ temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses reveal that abundant oxygen vacancies in PNCO-214 facilitate rapid adsorption and dissociation of N₂O into N₂ and O₂, while also promoting the surface exchange kinetics of proton/oxygen during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). When applied in an anode-supported single cell with PNCO-214 cathode operating under N₂O, outstanding power density and low resistance are achieved, delivering 0.801 W·cm⁻² and 0.245 Ω·cm² at 600 °C. Satisfactory performance is also maintained even when the temperature is reduced to 500 °C. Furthermore, the single cell demonstrates relatively good stability with negligible degradation over 130 h at 600 °C and 0.7 V. These findings underscore the potential of PNCO-214 as a highly effective cathode catalyst for enabling the use of N₂O as a viable oxidant in PCFCs for specific industrial applications.