Fabrication of Lanthanum Strontium Cobalt Ferrite–Gadolinium-Doped Ceria Composite Cathodes Using a Low-Price Inkjet Printer

In this work, we have successfully fabricated lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF)–gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) composite cathodes by inkjet printing and demonstrated their functioning in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The cathodes are printed using a low-cost HP inkjet printer, and the LSCF and GDC source inks are synthesized with fluidic properties optimum for inkjet printing. The composition and microstructure of the LSCF and GDC layers are successfully controlled by controlling the color level in the printed images and the number of printing cycles, respectively. Anode-support type SOFCs with optimized LSCF–GDC composite cathodes synthesized by our inkjet printing method have achieved a power output of over 570 mW cm –2 at 650 °C, which is comparable to the performance of a commercial SOFC stack. Electrochemical impedance analysis is carried out to establish a relationship between the cell performance and the compositional and structural characteristics of the printed LSCF–GDC composite cathodes.