LSCF–GDC composite particles for solid oxide fuel cells cathodes prepared by facile mechanical method

• A simple mechanical method to synthesize LSCF–GDC composite powder was proposed.
• The composite powder was synthesized by 20 min mechanical treatment without heating.
• The synthesized powder formed composite particles consisting of nano-sized particles.
• This method is very promising for producing high-quality composite powders for SOFC.

La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (LSCF)–Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (GDC) composite is one of the most promising cathode materials for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC). However, currently most commonly used synthesis techniques for preparation of LSCF–GDC composite powders are very complicated and energy-consuming. In this study, a facile mechanical method to synthesize La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (LSCF)–Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (GDC) composite powder was proposed. Such composite powder was formed by mechanical treatment of La2O3, Sr(OH)2, Co3O4, Fe2O3, and GDC powders using a high-speed attrition-type mill. The results revealed that the LSCF–GDC composite powder was successfully synthesized through a short-duration (20 min) mechanical treatment, and the synthesized powder formed composite particles consisting of nano-sized particles. Furthermore, the resultant cathode after sintering at 900 °C exhibited very low polarization resistances of 0.08, 0.17, 0.38, and 0.69 Ω cm2 at temperatures of 800, 750, 700, and 650 °C, respectively.

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