Cation-Deficient Ce-Substituted Perovskite Oxides with Dual-Redox Active Sites for Thermochemical Applications

Identifying thermodynamically favorable and stable non-stoichiometric metal oxides is of crucial importance for solar thermochemical (STC) fuel production via two-step redox cycles. The performance of a non-stoichiometric metal oxide depends on its thermodynamic properties, oxygen exchange capacity, and its phase stability under high-temperature redox cycling conditions. Perovskite oxides (ABO_3−δ) are being considered as attractive alternatives to the state-of-the-art ceria (CeO_2−δ) due to their high thermodynamic and structural tunability. However, perovskite oxides often exhibit low entropy change compared to ceria, as they generally have one only redox active site, leading to lower mass-specific fuel yields. Herein, we investigate cation-deficient Ce-substituted perovskite oxides as a new class of potential redox materials combining the advantages of perovskites and ceria. We newly synthesized the (Ce_xSr_1−x)_0.95Ti_0.5Mn_0.5O_3−δ (x = 0, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20; CSTM) series, with dual-redox active sites comprising Ce (at the A-site) and Mn (at the B-site). By introducing a cation deficiency (∼5%), CSTM perovskite oxides with both phase purity (x ≤ 0.15) and high-temperature structural stability under STC redox cycling conditions are obtained. Thermodynamic properties are evaluated by measuring oxygen non-stoichiometry in the temperature range T = 700−1400 °C and the oxygen partial pressure range pO₂ = 1−10⁻⁴ bar. The results demonstrate that CSTM perovskite oxides exhibit a composition-dependent simultaneous increase of enthalpy and entropy change with increasing Ce-substitution. (Ce_0.20Sr_0.80)_0.95Ti_0.5Mn_0.5O_3−δ (CSTM20) showed a combination of large entropy change of ∼141 J (mol-O)⁻¹ K⁻¹ and moderate enthalpy change of ∼238 kJ (mol-O)⁻¹, thereby creating favorable conditions for thermochemical H₂O splitting. Furthermore, the oxidation states and local coordination environment around Mn, Ce, and Ti sites in the pristine and reduced CSTM samples were extensively studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The results confirmed that both Ce (at the A-site) and Mn (at the B-site) centers undergo simultaneous reduction during thermochemical redox cycling.