Unravelling the role of dopants in the electrocatalytic activity of ceria towards CO reduction in solid oxide electrolysis cells.

CO reduction in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) is a key-technology for the transition to a sustainable energy infrastructure and chemical industry. Ceria (CeO) holds great promise in developing highly efficient, cost-effective and durable fuel electrodes, due to its promising electrocatalytic properties, and proven ability to suppress carbon deposition and to tolerate high concentrations of impurities. In the present work, we investigate the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of ceria towards CO reduction by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) on model systems with well-defined geometry, composition and surface area.