Synthesis of Sr2Fe1-xMnxNbO6-δ Powders and their Stability as Electrode of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell

Double-perovskite Sr2Fe1-xMnxNbO6-δ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8) (SFMN) powders which will be applied to the electrode of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) were synthesized by Solid State Reaction Method. The mixed oxide powders SrCO3, Fe2O3, MnO2 and Nb2O5, were homogeneously calcined at different temperatures and in different atmospheres. The influence of the preparation process on the structure and the morphology of the powder were investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It is found that the formation of perovskite structure is directly related to the content of Mn and calcining temperature. Controllable synthesis of pure phase of double perovskite powders was realized after calcining for12h at 1150 °C in air. Moreover, the experimental results show that the perovskite structure of SFMN is stable in whether oxidizing or reducing atmosphere, which indicates that this material has a potential to be used as electrode of solid oxide electrolysis cell.