Interface formation and Mn segregation of directly assembled La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 cathode on Y2O3-ZrO2 and Gd2O3-CeO2 electrolytes of solid oxide fuel cells

© 2018 The establishment of intimate electrode/electrolyte interface is very important in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), because it plays a critical role in the overall cell performance and durability. In this study, Mn segregation and interface formation between directly assembled La0.8Sr0.2MnO3(L...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: He, S., Chen, K., Saunders, M., Quadir, Z., Tao, S., Irvine, J., Cui, C., Jiang, San Ping
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier BV * North-Holland 2018
Online Access:http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180100568
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/72631
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Summary:© 2018 The establishment of intimate electrode/electrolyte interface is very important in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), because it plays a critical role in the overall cell performance and durability. In this study, Mn segregation and interface formation between directly assembled La0.8Sr0.2MnO3(LSM) electrode and yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) or gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) electrolytes are studied using combined focused ion beam and scanning transmission electron microscopy (FIB-STEM). In the case of LSM/YSZ and LSM/GDC electrodes, a significant reduction in the electrode ohmic resistance is observed after cathodic polarization at 900 °C and 500 mA cm-2, indicating the formation of an intimate interface. However, LSM particles start to disintegrate at the electrode/electrolyte interface with the increase of polarization time in the case of LSM/YSZ electrode. On the other hand, the LSM/GDC interface is very stable with negligible microstructure change at the interface. Mn segregation from the LSM perovskite structure is identified under the influence of polarization in both LSM/YSZ and LSM/GDC electrodes. The results demonstrate that nature of the electrolyte plays a critical role in the electrochemical activity, microstructure, morphology and stability of LSM/electrolyte interface under SOFC operation conditions.