The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a kind of all solid state electrochemical energy conversion device with high energy conversion efficiency (up to 70%) and less environmental pollution, is one of the ideal choice for the fossil fuel power generation technology in the future. The SOFC has a wide operating temperature range of about 450~1000℃. At high temperatures (800~1000℃), the fuel selection is more flexible, but with a series of problems, such as the more serious material performance attenuation, the higher system cost and the slower switching speed. Thus, reducing the operating temperature of the SOFC becomes an important research target at present. One of the major challenges in reducing the operating temperature of the SOFC is the development of solid electrolyte materials which can provide a sufficient conductivity to make the ohmic loss of the system acceptable during the operation process. In this paper, the research progress of the solid electrolyte materials development for the SOFC is reviewed, including the fluorite type, the perovskite type and the compound type. And the future research directions of the solid electrolyte materials towards medium or low temperature solid oxide fuel cells are discussed. The perovskite type electrolyte material is expected to become the first choice for medium and low temperature SOFC electrolyte materials in future, due to its high ionic conductivity and abundant modified space.

solid oxide fuel cell  /  solid electrolyte  /  fluorite type electrolyte  /  perovskite type electrolyte  /  compound type electrolyte