Abstract
Using soluble salts as metal-ion sources and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a polymer matrix, La1.2Sr0.8CoO4±δ cathode material with a fibrous morphology is prepared by electrostatic spinning, and microstructural characteristic of this material is investigated by field-emission scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical performance of the material in solid-oxide fuel cells is then tested. The results demonstrate that phase-pure La1.2Sr0.8CoO4±δ fibrils with tetragonal structure can be prepared from fresh silky precursors using electrospinning after annealing at high temperature. Compared to the conventional cathode material that possesses a plain granular structure, La1.2Sr0.8CoO4±δ fibrils exhibit superior electrochemical performance. At a temperature of 800 °C, the area specific resistance with this fibrous cathode is as low as 0.043 Ω cm2, and maximum power density with the corresponding single-cell is 716 mW cm−2, demonstrating the fast electrode kinetics in the O2 reduction reaction. Comparatively, the area specific resistance with the plain cathode is 0.062 Ω cm2, and the maximum power density with the corresponding single-cell is only 642 mW cm−2. Under a constant voltage load of 0.6 V at a fixed temperature of 750 °C, the power output from a single-cell with the fiber-structured cathode maintains between 615 mW cm−2 and 585 mW cm−2 even after 15 h of running time, showing a slower fading rate and a more stable electrochemical performance than the plain cathode.
Published Version
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