Characterization and performance of (La,Ba)(Co,Fe)O 3 cathode for solid oxide fuel cells with iron–chromium metallic interconnect

Abstract

(La 0.6Ba 0.4)(Co 0.2Fe 0.8)O 3 (LBCF) is synthesized by a sol–gel method as a Cr-tolerant cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (ITSOFCs). The electrochemical performance and Cr deposition process for the O 2 reduction reaction on LBCF cathodes in the presence and absence of a Fe–Cr alloy interconnect are investigated in detail, in comparison with a (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O 3 (LSCF) electrode. Cr deposition occurs for the O 2 reduction reaction on LBCF electrodes in the presence of Fe–Cr alloy. Very different from that observed for the reaction on the LSCF cathode, Cr deposition on the LBCF electrode/gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) electrolyte system is very small and shows little poisoning effect for O 2 reduction on LBCF electrode. The results demonstrate that the LBCF electrode has a high resistance towards Cr deposition and high tolerance towards Cr poisoning.