Investigations on Pr1.6Sr0.4NiO4-YSZ-Ag composite cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

Ag-network was successfully deposited by VA-EP (vacuum assisted electroless plating) method on Pr1.6Sr0.4NiO4-YSZ cathode to form (1−x) wt% Pr1.6Sr0.4NiO4−x wt% YSZ-Ag (x=0, 10, 20, 30, 40) (abbr. PYx-Ag) composite cathode. XRD results suggested that there was a good chemical stability between Pr1.6Sr0.4NiO4 and YSZ at temperatures below 1050 °C. PY20-Ag cathode exhibited higher exchange current density, lower overpotential and ASR (Area Specific Resistance) than PY20 cathode. At 650 °C, the ASR of PY20-Ag cathode was 2.5 Ω cm2, which was only about 42% of that of PY20, 5.9 Ω cm2. PY20-Ag can be a promising candidate for SOFC cathode.