Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 + Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 composite cathode for cermet supported thin Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 electrolyte SOFC operating below 600 °C

The cathode is a key component in low temperature solid oxide fuel cells. In this study, composite cathode, 75 wt.% Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (SSC) + 25 wt.% Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC), was applied on the cermet supported thin SDC electrolyte cell which was fabricated by tape casting, screen-printing, and co-firing. Single cells with the composite cathodes sintered at different temperatures were tested from 400 to 650 °C. The best cell performance, 0.75 W cm−2 peak power operating at 600 °C, was obtained from the 1050 °C sintered cathode. The measured thin SDC electrolyte resistance Rs was 0.128 Ω cm2 and total electrode polarization Rp(a + c) was only 0.102 Ω cm2 at 600 °C.