Effects of annealing temperature on solid oxide fuel cells containing (La,Sr)(Ga,Mg,Co)O3-δ electrolyte prepared by aerosol deposition

The low temperature aerosol deposition of LSGMC electrolyte and LSCF cathodes on NiO-GDC anodes is developed to minimize reactions between electrolyte and anode during cell fabrication. Annealing of the resulting structure is tested at 1000 and 1200 °C, secondary phase formation, Ni-diffusion, and electrochemical behavior are compared with those of an unannealed cell. The peak power density of the unannealed cell is 0.90 W·cm− 2 at 750 °C, this increases to 1.15 W·cm− 2 with annealing at 1000 °C, probably due to enhanced ionic conductivity of the LSGMC by grain growth, and decreases to 0.31 W·cm− 2 with annealing at 1200 °C, representative of temperatures during conventional cell fabrication, due to a reduction of OCV by severe Ni diffusion and increased electronic conductivity.

► We developed the low temperature aerosol deposition of LSGMC electrolyte.
► The reactions between electrolyte and anode during cell fabrication were minimized.
► The effects of annealing temperature on the electrochemical properties of the cell were analyzed.
► The cell showed highest performance with annealing at 1000oC.
► The aerosol deposition is a promising technique to optimize the performance of LSGMbased cells.