Optimization of LSCF-CuO as cathode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs)

Optimization of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite mixed with copper (II) oxide (LSCF-CuO) for the synthesis condition is carried out to maximize the fuel performance. The optimization is carried out using Response Surface Methodology; Central composite design (CCD), Historical data and Optimal-D models in the Design-Expert (12) and the comparison between them have been made. The optimization was carried over a done experiment to analyze the parameters, sintering temperature (°C) and CuO concentration (wt%) on the polarization resistance (Rp) Ωcm−2 which indirectly affect the fuel cell performance. Based on the statistical analysis, the designs show good fit of quadratic models since the coefficient of determination (R2) for CCD, Historical data and Optimal-D are 0.9911, 0.9936 and 0.9959 respectively (close to unity). The aim of the optimization is to minimize the polarization resistance and therefore Optimal-D model shows the good optimization result since it exhibits the lowest Rp of 0.11 Ωcm−2 compared to Historical data (0.16 Ωcm−2) and CCD (0.12 Ωcm−2). The optimized sintering temperature and CuO concentration for Optimal-D were 656 °C and 1.65 wt% respectively.