Electrochemical properties of electrospinning-fabricated layered perovskite used in cathode materials for a low temperature-operating solid oxide fuel cell

In this study, the microstructural and electrochemical properties of linear type nanofibers obtained by adding SmBa0.5Sr0.5Co2O5+d (SBSCO) layered perovskite oxide were investigated for use as cathode materials in a low temperature-operating solid oxide fuel cell. Linear type SBSCO fiber and Ce0.9Gd0.1O2−d coated SBSCO-fiber were fabricated using the electrospinning process. It was confirmed that the area specific resistance (0.75 Ω cm2) of the obtained SBSCO-fiber cathode was much lower than that (1.25 Ω cm2) of a powder-type SBSCO cathode at 550 °C. The result shows that the SBSCO fiber cathode exhibits lower polarization resistance in low temperature ranges than the powder SBSCO cathode materials do. A significantly lower activation energy (0.76 eV) was observed in fiber SBSCO cathode than in the nanostructured La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3−d ones which were used as control at 1.53 eV.