Microstructural investigation of the effect of electrospraying parameters on LSCF films

Abstract

Intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC) require an effectively functioning cathode layer whose performance depends largely on their microstructures. Improved electrochemical performance of the cathode layer can be possible by tailoring the microstructure to ensure that both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurs fast along the triple-phase boundaries (TPB) and the diffusion pathway is short enough for fast ion diffusion through the cathode layer. Electro spray deposition (ESD) method is a low-cost deposition method which allows the optimization of microstructure by changing the spraying parameters. In this study, gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) electrolyte layer is deposited with La1-xSrxCo1-yFeyO3-δ (LSCF) derived from polymeric precursor salts, symmetrically. As a solvent couple, 2-butoxyethanol and ethylene glycol are used instead of the conventional solvent couples frequently employed in the literature. The use of the new type of solvents in the precursor solution leads to promising results on modifying the microstructure of the deposited layer. The effect of electrospraying parameters on the cell performance was also studied. Promising results were obtained as measured by impedance spectroscopy when this new solvent couple was employed.