Study on oxygen activation and methane oxidation over La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 electrode in single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells via an electrochemical approach

Single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells (SC-SOFCs), which apply fuel-oxidant (air) gas mixture as the atmosphere for both anode and cathode, are receiving many interests recently. This study aims to clarify the mechanism of oxygen reduction and methane oxidization over La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) cathode in SC-SOFCs by an electrochemical method in combination with mass spectrometry (MS). Before cathodic polarization, a large polarization resistance (Rp) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was observed and methane did not cause obvious effect on ORR because of the weak adsorption of methane over LSM surface. Cathodic polarization could decrease the Rp obviously due to the in-situ creation of oxygen vacancies; methane likely adsorbed on those oxygen vacancy sites to enhance its effect on ORR. Both the anodic and cathodic polarizations significantly increased the rate of methane oxidation over LSM electrode; in particular, the pumped oxygen anion was highly active for methane oxidation.