Electrochemical properties of LaBaCo2O5+δ–Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 composite cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The electrochemical properties of LaBaCo2O5+δ–xSm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (LBCO-xSDC, x = 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, wt%) were investigated for the potential application in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). The LBCO-50SDC composite cathode exhibited the best electrochemical performance in the LBCO-xSDC cathodes. With x = 50 wt%, the ASR was 1.308 Ω cm2 at 500 °C (0.267 Ω cm2 at 600 °C and 0.052 Ω cm2 at 700 °C). The maximum of exchange current density i0 was 0.5630 A cm−2 at 700 °C. The improved electrochemical properties of LBCO-50SDC were ascribed to the porous structures of the cathode and more cathode/electrolyte/gas triple phase boundary (TPB) areas.