Nanoengineering of cathode layers for solid oxide fuel cells to achieve superior power densities

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are power-generating devices with high efficiencies and considered as promising alternatives to mitigate energy and environmental issues associated with fossil fuel technologies. Nanoengineering of electrodes utilized for SOFCs has emerged as a versatile tool for significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance but needs to overcome issues for integration into practical cells suitable for widespread application. Here, we report an innovative concept for high-performance thin-film cathodes comprising nanoporous La 0.6 Sr 0.4 CoO 3 − δ cathodes in conjunction with highly ordered, self-assembled nanocomposite La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 − δ (lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite)\xa0and Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 2 − δ (gadolinia-doped ceria) cathode layers prepared using pulsed laser deposition. Integration of the nanoengineered cathode layers into conventional anode-supported cells enabled the achievement of high current densities at 0.7\u2009V reaching ~2.2 and ~4.7\u2009A/cm 2 at 650\u2009°C and 700\u2009°C, respectively. This result demonstrates that tuning material properties through an effective nanoengineering approach could significantly boost the electrochemical performance of cathodes for development of next-generation SOFCs with high power output. High-performance cathode materials are crucial for the development of solid oxide fuel cells. Here, the authors present a nanoengineering approach to boost cathode performance in conventional anode-supported cells, demonstrating a viable route to attaining higher power output.