Measurement of partial oxygen ion conductivity of Sr-doped lanthanum manganite

Sr-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) is considered to be a suitable cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Presently, bi-layer dense structures of p-type LSM on n-type perovskite oxides are being considered for application as SOFC interconnections. In this paper, we have measured the partial oxygen ion conductivity of LSM, an important property that is crucial to the design of such interconnections. Dense LSM was successfully deposited on sintered yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) plates by DC-magnetron sputtering. The oxygen-ion conductivity of LSM was measured as a function of oxygen partial pressure, pO2, by using the YSZ as an electron blocking method in the temperature range between 680 and 880 °C.