Recent progress in nanostructured electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells deposited by spray pyrolysis

Abstract

Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs), operating below 650 °C, are attracting a great interest due to their long-term stability and potential application for stationary and portable power generation. Much effort is being devoted to investigating new electrode materials because the electrode polarization resistance remains a serious limitation to the performance. Nanostructured electrodes offer the possibility of increasing the SOFC efficiency at low temperatures. Among the different electrode preparation techniques, spray pyrolysis deposition is a versatile, economic and industrially scalable method to grow electrodes directly on the electrolyte, reducing preparation steps and time. Recent progresses in this field are summarized here, especially highlighting the wide variety of different microstructural strategies used to improve the electrode performance, i.e. nanocomposite cathodes graded cathodes, infiltrated cathodes and cathodes with active/functional layers. Finally, the current existing challenges and the future working directions for further enhancing the properties of new nanostructured electrodes are discussed. • Microstructural strategies for SOFC electrodes based on spray-pyrolysis are presented. • Microstructural optimization greatly improves the efficiency of the electrodes. • Both cathode and anode prepared for spray deposition are reviewed. • This review will be helpful for the development of new nanostructured electrodes.