S. I. Vecherskii, M. A. Konopelko, N. N. Batalov, M. A. Zvezdkin, I. V. Zvezdkina.
ABSTRACT
Kinetics of oxygen reduction on “in situ” lithiated LaCoO3-d electrode in (Li0.62K0.38)2CO3 melt has been studied. It has been shown that under the experimental conditions the main electroactive species are superoxide ions and molecular oxygen, which correlates with studies on a gold electrode. However, the observed mechanism of the electrode reaction differed from the mechanisms proposed for the gold electrode. A number of mechanisms accounting the peculiarities of the oxide electrode have been proposed. Exchange current densities were found to be independent on the oxygen partial pressure and varied in the range 220–290 mA/cm2, depending on the experimental conditions and the supposed mechanism.
KEY WORDS
molten carbonate, fuel cell, perovskite, lanthanum cobaltite, oxygen reduction, electrocatalytic activity.