A high activity cathode of Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 decorated Mn1.5Co1.5O4 using ion impregnation technique within a solid oxide fuel cell system

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device for sustainable energy storage and conversion. This paper investigates the improvement of electrochemical performance by decorating Mn1.5Co1.5O4 (MCO) surface with Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) using ion impregnation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that SDC is chemically compatible with MCO. Microstructure and electrochemical performances of SDC impregnating MCO materials have been studied. The area specific resistance (ASR) of SDC impregnating MCO composite cathodes is 1.63 omega cm2 at 700 degrees C, lower than 5.23 omega cm2 of MCO-SDC composite cathodes prepared by mechanical blending. The single fuel cell used SDC impregnating MCO composite cathode, SDC electrolyte and Ni/SDC anode shows the maximum power density of 366 mW cm- 2 at 700 degrees C, it is significantly higher than that of MCO-SDC prepared by mechanical blending. The results indicate that ion impregnation method could promote the electrochemical performances of MCO cathodes more efficiently comparing with traditional mechanical blending method.