Electrochemical Properties of Composite Cathode Materials Pr1.95La0.05CuO4–Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The electrochemical properties are studied for composite electrodes Pr 1.95 La 0.05 CuO 4 (PLCO)– x Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 1.95 (GDC), where x = 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt % GDC with the aim of finding the composition with the best electrochemical efficiency in the oxygen reduction reaction. Varying the temperature of sintering of the PLCO– x GDC electrode layer to the surface of GDC solid electrolyte shows that the minimum polarization resistance ( R η ) is reached at the temperature of 850°C. For the PLCO– x GDC composition containing 40 wt % GDC, in the temperature range of 600–750°C, the maximum electrochemical activity in oxygen reduction reaction is observed as indicated by 10-fold decrease in R η as compared with single-phase PLCO (from 0.87 ( x = 0) to 0.08 Ω cm 2 ( x = 40) at 700°C in air). According to the data obtained, the PLCO–40GDC composite can be considered as a promising cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells.