Effect of oxygen pressure on structural and electrical properties of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ/SrTiO3(200) by reactive pulsed laser deposition

Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (BSCF) thin films as a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode material, were deposited on SrTiO3(200) by reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at 600 °C under different oxygen pressures of 100, 200, 300 and 400 mTorr. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Films electrical resistance versus temperature was also measured from room temperature up to 800 °C. The polaron activation energies were calculated by linear fitting of Arrhenius function. A good epitaxial growth, high electrical conductivity and the lowest activation energy were observed for 300 mTorr oxygen pressure.