Promoted electrochemical performance of one-step sintered intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells using nanoscale electrodes

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) require simple cell fabrication procedure and reduced sintering temperature to improve system economics and durability. In this work, we propose a one-step low temperature (950 degrees C vs. conventional & GE;1300 degrees C) sintering technology to prepare doped ceria electrolyte-based SOFCs by adding 3 mol% of Li2O sintering aid. Super low temperature sintering grants the direct application of nanoporous Ni-based cermet anode and hierarchical SrNb0.1Fe0.9O3 cathode with improved catalytic activities, which improves SOFC efficiency. The ionic conductivity of the electrolyte and catalytic activities of electrodes are systematically investigated by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique and analyzed by the distribution of relaxation time method. These electrolyte-supported SOFCs exhibit an OCV value of 1.01 V at 500 degrees C and a peak power density of 291 mW cm-2 at 700 degrees C as well as sufficient stability for 50 h. Our results demonstrate a reliable and affordable method for manufacturing high-performance SOFCs.