Promoting exsolution of RuFe alloy nanoparticles on Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) via repeated redox manipulations for CO(2) electrolysis

Metal nanoparticles anchored on perovskite through in situ exsolution under reducing atmosphere provide catalytically active metal/oxide interfaces for CO(2) electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cell. However, there are critical challenges to obtain abundant metal/oxide interfaces due to the sluggish diffusion process of dopant cations inside the bulk perovskite. Herein, we propose a strategy to promote exsolution of RuFe alloy nanoparticles on Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) perovskite by enriching the active Ru underneath the perovskite surface via repeated redox manipulations. In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrates the dynamic structure evolution of Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) perovskite under reducing and oxidizing atmosphere, as well as the facilitated CO(2) adsorption at RuFe@Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) interfaces. Solid oxide electrolysis cell with RuFe@Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) interfaces shows over 74.6% enhancement in current density of CO(2) electrolysis compared to that with Sr(2)Fe(1.4)Ru(0.1)Mo(0.5)O(6−δ) counterpart as well as impressive stability for 1000 h at 1.2 V and 800 °C.