Preparation and performance of a nano-honeycomb cathode for microtubular solid oxide fuel cells.

The effect of a nano-honeycomb cathode on the performance of a microtubular solid oxide fuel cell is investigated. We successfully prepared nano-honeycomb cathodes with high unsealing pore porosity (∼64.6%) and high structural strength by freeze casting, which improved the adsorption and dissociation of oxygen. We added gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) nanopowder to the lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) cathode material. The cell performance of the nano-cell structure of the GDC-LSCF cathode is significantly improved compared to a traditional GDC-LSCF cathode with a spongy porous structure. At 750 °C, the current density is 1450 mA cm−2 and the power density is 475 mW cm−2, which is better than that of conventional cathode structures. We discussed the effects of the honeycomb structure on the cell, including the migration of silver paste as a cathodic collector to the GDC-LSCF interface and the improvement of the activity of the oxygen electrodes. • The fabricated nano-honeycomb cathode had a large surface area and large pore channels. • I–V–P curves indicated the success of the HC-MTSOFC compared to TC-MTSOFCs. • Scanning electron microscopy determined the silver diffusion after 10 h of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]