Copper-doped lanthanum ferrites for symmetric SOFCs

Abstract Structure stability and electrical conductivity of La 1-x Sr x Fe 0.8 Cu 0.2 O 3-δ with x = 0.2, 0.4 were investigated both in air and in hydrogen to explore their potential applications as symmetric electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells. La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ga 0.8 Mg 0.2 O 3-δ (LSGM) electrolyte supported symmetric fuel cells were fabricated and tested in air/hydrogen ambient in 650–800 °C temperature range achieving a maximum power density of 162 mW cm −2 . To improve the cell performance, a composite electrode (70 wt% La 1-x Sr x Fe 0.8 Cu 0.2 O 3-δ −30 wt% Gd 0.2 Ce 0.8 O 3-δ ) was successfully evaluated both at the anode and the cathode sides decreasing the cell polarization resistance to 0.454 Ω cm 2 at 800 °C and reaching a single cell maximum power density of 294 mW cm −2 .