Robust Pr6O11 infiltration for La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathode performance enhancement on electrolyte supported solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

In this study, the infiltration of a novel electrocatalyst, Praseodymium oxide (Pr6O11), has successfully enhanced solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) performance via simple infiltration method. Pristine Lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) screen printed on a electrolyte supported SOFC button cell showed peak power density of 0.086 W/cm2 at 800 °C, infiltrating 0.1 mol/L of Pr6O11 precursor into the LSCF cathode increased performance by 16.3 % by recording a 0.100 W/cm2 peak power density and infiltrating higher concentration of 1 mol/L Pr6O11 precursor further increased power density to 0.118 W/cm2, a 37.2 % improvement. Although increasing temperature lowered the effectiveness of the electrocatalyst, 1 mol/L Pr6O11 precursor infiltrated LSCF still showed the highest peak power density overall with 0.237 W/cm2 at 900 °C, a 13.9 % increase from pristine LSCF's 0.208 W/cm2 at the same temperature. The results confirm that increasing Pr6O11 precursor concentration in infiltration solution is an effective way for improving SOFC performance.