A novel doped CeO2–LaFeO3 composite oxide as both anode and cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

A novel composite oxide Ce(Mn,Fe)O2-La(Sr)Fe(Mn)O3 (CFM-LSFM) was synthesized and evaluated as both anode and cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. The cell with CFM-LSFM electrodes was fabricated by tape-casting and screen printing technique. The power-generating performance of this cell was comparable to that of the cell with Ni-SSZ anode and LSM-SSZ cathode. During the 120 h long-term test in hydrogen at 800 °C, the performance increased by 8.6% from 256 to 278 mW cm−2. This was attributed to the decrease of polarization resistance and ohmic resistance during the test. The XRD results showed the presence of Fe, MnO and some unknown second phases after heat-treating the electrode materials in H2 which may be beneficial to the anode electrochemical process. The gradual decrease of polarization resistance as increasing the current density possibly resulted from the increasing content of water in the anode.

► The symmetrical cell was fabricated by tape-casting and screen printing method.
► The cell had good performance comparable to the cell with Ni-SSZ anode.
► During the 120 h long-term stability test, the power output increased by 8.6%.
► The second phases may be beneficial to the anode electrochemical oxidation.
► The existence of water possibly facilitated the anode process.