Facile synthesis of uniform LaSrCoO4 using amino acid-derived surfactant and its utilization as an excellent cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell

Abstract

In this paper, a uniform and defective LaSrCoO4 was prepared by using amino acid derived surfactant (N-(2-hydroxylalkyl)-l-Phenylalanine). Owing to rich active groups of N-(2-hydroxylalkyl)-l-Phenylalanine, the resultant LaSrCoO4 showed enhanced specific surface area and good electro-catalytic property. The porous K2NiF4-type LaSrCoO4 was verified as a good cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The LaSrCoO4 electrode demonstrated good electrochemical performance, including good electrical conductivity (138.7 S cm−1, in air at 800 °C), low polarization resistance Rp (0.108 Ω cm2, symmetric cells in air at 800 °C) and high power densities (688 mW cm−2 at 800 °C). The as-prepared LaSrCoO4 shows a promising application as the cathode materials in the intermediate temperature SOFCs.