Fabrication and characterization of a Ba(0.5)Sr(0.5)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-d) - Gadolinia-doped ceria cathode for an anode-supported solid-oxide fuel cell

Ba(0.5)Sr(0.5)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-d) (BSCF) and gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) were synthesized via a glycine-nitrate process (GNP). A cubic perovskite of BSCF was observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at a calcination temperature above 950 'C. An anode-supported solid-oxide fuel cell was constructed from the porous NiO + YSZ as the anode substrate, the yittria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the electrolyte, and the porous BSCF-GDC layer as the cathode with a GDC barrier layer. For the performance test, the maximum power density was 191.3 mW cm(-2) at a temperature of 750 'C with H(2) fuel and air at flow rates of 335 and 670 sccm, respectively. According to the AC-impedance data, the charge-transfer resistances of the electrodes were 0.10 and 1.59 [Omega] cm(2), and the oxygen-reduction and oxygen-ion diffusion resistances were 0.69 and 0.98 [Omega] cm(2) at 750 and 600 'C, respectively. SEM microstructural characterization indicated that the fuel cell as fabricated exhibited good compatibility between cathode and electrolyte layers.