One dimensional La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ/Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 nanocomposite cathodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

One dimensional La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF) nanorod/Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 (GDC) nanoparticle composite cathode has been fabricated by infiltrating the GDC precursor solution into LSFC scaffolds consisting of LSCF nanorods prepared with an electrospinning technique. For comparison, LSCF/GDC nanoparticle cathodes are also obtained using the same method. Impedance analysis reveals that nanorod structured LSCF/GDC cathode has a better electrochemical performance than that of the pure nanorod LSCF cathode, achieving a polarization resistance of 0.10 Omega cm(2) at 650 degrees C for the GDC loading of 160 mu L, corresponding to about 50 wt.% GDC. Especially, the polarization resistance of nanorod LSCF/GDC cathode with 160 mu L loading displays 5 times smaller than that of LSCF/GDC nanoparticle cathode with an optimal GDC loading of 80 mu L at 650 degrees C, mainly due to its optimal structure with larger LSCF/GDC boundaries and higher porosity. These results imply that LSCF nanorod/GDC nanoparticle composite is a promising cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC). (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.