Electrochemical properties of La4Ni3O10-GDC composite cathode by facile sol-gel method for IT-SOFCs

Abstract

Among the Ruddlesden-Popper series, La4Ni3O10 has received widespread attention as a promising cathode material by reason of its favorable properties for realizing high performance of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). The La4Ni3O10 cathode is prepared using the facile sol-gel method by employing tri-blockcopolymer (F127) to obtain a single phase in a short sintering time. There are no reactions between the La4Ni3O10 cathode and the Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-λ (GDC) electrolyte upon sintering at 1000oC, indicating that the La4Ni3O10 cathode has good chemical compatibility with the GDC electrolyte. The maximum electrical conductivity of La4Ni3O10 reaches approximately 240 S cm.1 at 100oC and gradually decreases with increasing temperaturein air atmosphere. The area specific resistance value of La4Ni3O10 composite with 40 wt% GDC is 0.435 ω cm2 at 700°C. These data allow us to propose that the La4Ni3O10-GDC composite cathode is a good candidate for IT-SOFC applications.