Performance of (La,Sr)MnO3 cathode based solid oxide fuel cells: Effect of bismuth oxide sintering aid in silver paste cathode current collector

Effects of a bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) sintering aid in the silver paste cathode current collectors on the electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells with (La,Sr)MnO3 cathode is investigated. Anode-supported single cells are prepared and applied with pure and Bi2O3-added silver pastes for cathode current collecting. Cell performances are evaluated using a current–voltage test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicate that the Bi2O3-added silver paste cathode current collector artificially increases the power density and lowers the polarization resistance of single cell, which may be attributed to the observation of the improved cathode current collector surface morphology and enhanced contact at the cathode-current collector interface, as well as the migration of the Bi2O3 and silver into the cathode from the Bi2O3 contained silver paste cathode current collector.