Electrochemical performance of LSCF based thin film cathodes prepared by spray pyrolysis

La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (LSCF) based thin film cathodes were fabricated by spray pyrolysis and their performance was evaluated with area specific resistance (ASR). With a maximum processing temperature of 650 °C, these cathodes are suitable for application in micro-solid oxide fuel cells (μ-SOFC). The ∼ 500 nm thick cathodes showed performance similar to traditional thick film LSCF cathodes (10–100 μm). However, by using a new material composition Ba0.25La0.25Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 − δ (BLSCF) or by modifying the microstructure, a significant improvement in performance was achieved. Reducing the grain size or introducing a thin dense cathode layer between the porous cathode and the electrolyte were beneficial modifications of the microstructure.