Low-temperature electrochemical characterization of dense ultra-thin lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (La sub(0.6)Sr sub(0.4)Co sub(0.8)Fe sub(0.2)O sub(3)) cathodes synthesized by RF-sputtering on nanoporous alumina-supported Y-doped zirconia membranes

Dense ultra-thin nanocrystalline La sub(0.6)Sr sub(0.4)Co sub(0.8)Fe sub(0.2)O sub(3) (LSCF) films with thickness of [not, vert, similar]50 nm, have been sputtered on nanoporous anodic alumina-supported nanocrystalline thin film yttria-stabilized zirconia and patterned by photolithography into microelectrodes. This approach enables low-temperature (425-550 [deg]C) electrochemical properties of dense ultra-thin nanocrystalline LSCF to be characterized. The results reveal that the electrochemical resistance of nanocrystalline ultra-thin LSCF is dominated by the oxygen surface exchange reaction at the electrode surface with an activation energy of 1.1 eV. Area-specific resistance of LSCF was obtained and the results are of potential relevance to utilizing nanostructured oxide cathodes for micro-SOFCs operated at low temperatures.