Natural CuFe₂O₄ mineral for solid oxide fuel cells

Natural mineral, cuprospinel (CuFe₂O₄) originated from natural chalcopyrite ore (CuFeS₂), has been used for the first time in low temperature solid oxide fuel cells. Three different types of devices are fabricated to explore the optimum application of CuFe₂O₄ in fuel cells. Device with CuFe₂O₄ as a cathode catalyst exhibits a maximum power density of 180 mW/cm² with an open circuit voltage 1.07 V at 550 °C. And a power output of 587 mW/cm² is achieved from the device using a homogeneous mixture membrane of CuFe₂O₄, Li₂O-ZnO-Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O₂ and LiNi_0.8Co_0.15Al_0.05O₂. Electrochemical impedance spectrum analysis reveals different mechanisms for the devices. The results demonstrate that natural mineral, chalcopyrite, can provide a new implementation to utilize the natural resources for next-generation fuel cells being cost-effective and make great contributions to the environmentally friendly sustainable energy.