Structural and electrical characterisation of nanostructure electrodes for SOFCs

•Nanocomposite electrodes.•Ni free electrodes for low temperature fuel cell.•High performance low temperature solid oxide fuel cells.•Good electrical conductor.

This paper reports the effects of sintering temperature on structure, particle size and conductivity of electrodes (Sn0.2Zn0.8Fe0.2O & Sn0.8Zn0.2Fe0.2O). The electrode material was prepared by the chemical method combining a solid state reaction. Structural analyses were performed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The particle size of the material obtained using Scherrer's formula was 50–60 nm and the nanostructure's surface was studied using electrochemical characterisations tools. Electrical conductivity was determined using the 4-probe DC method, which was compared with the 4-probe AC method. These results suggest a promising substitute for the conventional electrodes of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). It is known that a sintering temperature above 1000 °C causes an increase in density and a reduction of porosity. Therefore, we optimised the sintering temperature at 1000 °C and obtained electrical conductivity of about 5 S cm−1. Thus, this electrode could play a vital role in the development of high performance SOFCs at intermediate temperatures.