Synthesis and Characterization of La sub(0.8)Sr sub(0.2)MnO sub(3- delta ) Nanostructures for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

La sub(0.8)Sr sub(0.2)MnO sub( 3- delta ) (LSM) perovskite was synthesized using different methods, such as solid state reaction, soft-chemical and sol-gel methods for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for use as a cathode material. The pristine material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction results show that the pure phase of La sub(0.8)Sr sub(0.2)MnO sub(3- delta ) (LSM) perovskite was formed at 1250 super(o)C. Scanning electron microscopy characterization shows that a highly porous material can be obtained using a soft-chemical method with different 3,3',3"-nitrilotripropionic acid ( NTP) to metal-ion ratio R.