Eggshell membrane-templated synthesis of highly crystalline perovskite ceramics for solid oxide fuel cells

Highly crystalline perovskite ceramics were templated by an eggshell membrane (ESM) via strong metal-protein bonding. Templated Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (SSC) ceramics retained an interwoven fibrous structure at a temperature up to 1000 degrees C. The use of citric acid-assisted sol-gel coating in the template synthesis greatly enhanced the crystallininty of the ceramic because the sol-gel process ensured the stoichiometric adsorption of ceramic precursors, and it also affected ceramic morphology. The highly crystalline SSC ceramic was used as a cathode material of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), and the cathode properties were compared with those prepared with the ceramic synthesized via a conventional combustion method. The maximum power density of the cell made with the templated SSC was 44.5% and 29.8% higher than that made with the combusted SSC at 600 degrees C and 500 degrees C, respectively, because the highly porous cathode constructed with the templated SSC reduced the cell concentration polarization and cathode polarization resistance. This study suggests high-performance perovskite ceramic for SOFC was produced via the template synthesis.