Asymmetric diffusion of Zr, Sc and Ce, Gd at the interface between zirconia electrolyte and ceria interlayer for solid oxide fuel cells

•The (CeZr)O2 based solid solution was locally formed at 1200 °C.•More Zr, Sc elements were detected in GDC than Ce, Gd elements in SSZ.•Zirconia nanodomain was embedded in GDC beside grain boundary.•High OCVs were achieved due to the highly dense electrolyte layer.

The microstructures of cathode interlayer and elemental diffusion behaviors across the interfacial region (electrolyte/interlayer) have been characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning TEM combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS). A densified film about 100 nm is locally formed at the interface of electrolyte/interlayer as the interlayer using dip-coating method and being sintered at 1200 °C. It is observed that the compositional distribution curves across the interface are asymmetric. More amount of the Zr, Sc component is detected in gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) than that of the Ce, Gd component is detected in scandia-stabilized-zirconia (SSZ). XRD and EDS results show that the densified layer might consist of (Zr, Ce)O2-based solid solution. The high open circuit voltage of the cell is related to the dense structure of electrolyte, while the increased activation energy in overpotential resistance is attributed to the porous structure of interlayer as well as the high resistance phases locally formed at its interface.