(Pr0.9La0.1)2(Ni0.74Cu0.21Ga0.05)O4+δ as cathode material for CeO2-based intermediate-temperature solid-oxide fuel cell

(Pr0.9La0.1)2Ni0.74Cu0.21Ga0.05O4+δ (PLNCG) has been investigated as a potential cathode material based on Ce0.9Gd0.1O2−δ (CGO) electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid-oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC). X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that PLNCG powders with K2NiF4-type structure can be obtained from calcining the precursors at 950 °C for 10 h in air. The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) value of PLNCG is 12.45×10−6 K−1, which is extremely close to that of CGO (12.39×10−6 K−1). The PLNCG material exhibits a semiconductor-to-metal transition around 400 °C. The value of area specific resistance (ASR) is 0.249, 0.118, 0.063 and 0.037 Ω cm2 at 650, 700, 750, 800 °C, respectively. The CGO electrolyte-supported fuel cell is prepared using PLNCG as cathode and NiO–CGO (65:35 by weight) as anode. The maximum power densities of the single-cell reach 407, 266 and 201 mW cm−2 at 800, 750, and 700 °C, respectively. These results indicate that the PLNCG can be a good candidate for cathode materials of IT-SOFC based on CGO electrolyte.