Chemical compatibility of Sr-doped La2CuO4 cathode material with LSGM solid oxide electrolyte

The chemical reactivity of a novel cathode material for IT-SOFC, La2 − xSrxCuO4 − δ, with the oxide-ion conductor La0.83Sr0.17Ga0.83Mg0.17O3 − w is investigated using XRD and ESEM/EDX techniques. La2 − xSrxCuO4 − δ samples (x = 0.1 and 0.2) are prepared by citrate auto-combustion synthesis. The behaviour of mixtures of La2 − xSrxCuO4 − δ cathode material and La0.83Sr0.17Ga0.83Mg0.17O3 − w (LSGM) electrolyte (1:1 weight ratio) annealed at 1000 °C for 24–48 h is studied. Peak broadening and shifting in the diffraction patterns are explained as diffusion of cations from one phase to the other; these findings are corroborated by the ESEM/EDX analysis. No diffraction peaks from reaction products are found. These results showed that the use of La2 − xSrxCuO4 − δ (x = 0.1 and 0.2) cathode material in contact with LSGM electrolyte is not advantageous for SOFC application.