Homogeneity and representativeness analyses of solid oxide fuel cell cathode microstructures

Microstructural properties such as relative density, triple phase boundary length, specific surface area, tortuosity factors are often calculated for microstructure-based analysis and modeling of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). A realistic representation of the microstructure is a challenging and important issue for both experiments and modeling. In the present study, statistical correlation functions and a volume expansion method are used to determine the representative volume element size for the analyses of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathode microstructures in SOFCs.