Electrochemicalperformance of La0.6sr0.4co0.2fe0.8o3-δ Based Cathodes for Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Composite cathodes based on perovskite, La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF), were investigated as cathodes for low-temperature solid-oxide fuel cells with samarium-doped cerium (SDC)-carbonate electrolytes. The LSCF powder was synthesized via the sol-gel technique. The LSCF-SDC-carbonate composite cathode was subsequently prepared bymixing the LSCF with the SDC-carbonate electrolyte through solid-state reaction in various compositions, i.e., 30wt%, 40wt%, and 50wt%. The composite cathode was characterized in terms of its morphology, phase structure, and thermal expansion coefficient, as well as the electrochemical performance of the cells. The thermal expansion of the cathode approached that of the electrolyte when the amount of the SDC-carbonate electrolyte in the composite cathodewas increased. Among the cathodes investigated, 70LSCF-30SDC7030 showed the best cell performance of 60.26 mW/cm2 to 75.33 mW/cm2 at 600 °C to 650 °C, respectively