Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells with La1−xSrxMnO3 as the cathodes

La1−xSrxMnO3 (LSM) has been widely developed as the cathode material for high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its chemical and mechanical compatibilities with the electrolyte materials. However, its application to low-temperature SOFCs is limited since its electrochemical activity decreases substantially when the temperature is reduced. In this work, low-temperature SOFCs based on LSM cathodes are developed by coating nanoscale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) onto the porous electrodes to significantly increase the electrode activity of both cathodes and anodes. A peak power density of 0.46 W cm−2 and area specific interfacial polarization resistance of 0.36 Ω cm2 are achieved at 600 °C for single cells consisting of Ni-SDC anodes, LSM cathodes, and SDC electrolytes. The cell performances are comparable with those obtained with cobalt-based cathodes such as Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3, and therefore encouraging in the development of low-temperature SOFCs with high reliability and durability.