• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.740-746
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• 2007

The potential candidates for IT-SOFCs cathode materials, $Ba_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}Co_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (BSCF) and $La_{0.6}Ba_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.8}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (LBCF) powders, were synthesized by a EDTA-citrate combined method from $Sr(NO_3)_2$, $Ba(NO_3)_2$, $La(NO_3)_3{\cdot}6H_2O$, $Co(NO_3)_2{\cdot}6H_2O$, $Fe(NO_3)_3{\cdot}9H_2O$, citric acid and $EDTA-NH_3$. The cathode performance of symmetrical electrochemical cells consisting of BSCF-GDC or LBCF-GDC composite electrodes and a GDC electrolyte was investigated using by AC impedance spectroscopy at the temperature range of 500 to $700^{\circ}C$. It was found that a single phase perovskite could be successfully synthesized when the precursor is heated at $850^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. Due to thermal expansion mismatch between BSCF and GDC, the composite cathodes with lower GDC content than 45 wt% were peeled off from the GDC electrolyte and their electrode polarization resistance was estimated to be high. The thermal expansion coefficient of BSCF-GDC composites was decreased with increasing the GDC content and the electrode peeling off did not occur in BSCF-45 and 55 wt% GDC composites. BSCF-45 wt% GDC composite electrode showed the lowest area specific resistances (ASR) of 0.15 and $0.04{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$ at 600 and $700^{\circ}C$, respectively. On the other hand, LBCF-GDC composite cathodes showed higher ASR than the BSCF-45 and 55 wt% GDC and their cathode performance were decreased with the GDC content.