Use of La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3 materials in composite anodes for direct ethanol solid oxide fuel cells

The perovskite system La1−xSrxCr1−yMyO3−δ (M, Mn, Fe and V) has recently attracted much attention as a candidate material for the fabrication of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its stability in both H2 and CH4 atmospheres at temperatures up to 1000 °C. In this paper, we report the synthesis of La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3 (LSCM) by solid-state reaction and its employment as an alternative anode material for anode-supported SOFCs. Because LSCM shows a greatly decreased electronic conductivity in a reducing atmosphere compared to that in air, we have fabricated Cu-LSCM-ScSZ (scandia-stabilized zirconia) composite anodes by tape-casting and a wet-impregnation method. Additionally, a composite structure (support anode, functional anode and electrolyte) structure with a layer of Cu-LSCM-YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) on the supported anode surface has been manufactured by tape-casting and screen-printing. Single cells with these two kinds of anodes have been fabricated, and their performance characteristics using hydrogen and ethanol have been measured. In the operation period, no obvious carbon deposition was observed when these cells were operated on ethanol. These results demonstrate the stability of LSCM in an ethanol atmosphere and its potential utilization in anode-supported SOFCs.