• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.487-492
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• 2011

The effect of the application of lanthanum strontrium manganite and yttria-stabilized zirconia (LSM-YSZ) nano-composite fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as a cathode of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is studied. A gradient-structure thin-film cathode composed of 1 micron-thick LSM-YSZ deposited at an ambient pressure ($P_{amb}$) of 200 mTorr; 2 micron-thick LSM-YSZ deposited at a $P_{amb}$ of 300 mTorr; and 2 micron-thick lanthanum strontium cobaltite (LSC) current collecting layer was fabricated on an anode-supported SOFC with an ~8 micron-thick YSZ electrolyte. In comparison with a 1 micron-thick nano-structure single-phase LSM cathode fabricated by PLD, it was obviously effective to increase triple phase boundaries (TPB) over the whole thickness of the cathode layer by employing the composite and increasing the physical thickness of the cathode. Both polarization and ohmic resistances of the cell were significantly reduced and the power output of the cell was improved by a factor of 1.6.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.727-732
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• 2007

In order to fabricate a highly performing cathode for low-temperature type solid oxide fuel cells working at below $700^{\circ}C$, electrode microstructure control and electrode polarization measurement were performed with an electronic conductor, $La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}MnO_3$ (LSM) and a mixed conductor, $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.8}O_3$(LSCF). For both cathode materials, when $Sm_{0.2}Ce_{0.8}O_2$ (SDC) buffer layer was formed between the cathode and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte, interfacial reaction products were effectively prevented at the high temperature of cathode sintering and the electrode polarization was also reduced. Moreover, cathode polarization was greatly reduced by applying the SDC sol-gel coating on the cathode pore surface, which can increase triple phase boundary from the electrolyte interface to the electrode surface. For the LSCF cathode with the SDC buffer layer and modified by the SDC sol-gel coating on the cathode pore surface, the cathode resistance was as low as 0.11 ${\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$ measured at $700^{\circ}C$ in air atmosphere.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.283-289
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• 2001

Composite cathodes of 50/50 vol% LSM- YSZ (La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnO$_3$-yttria stabilized zirconia) were deposited onto surface- Polished YSZ electrolytes by colloidal deposition technique. The cathode characteristics were then examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and studied by ac impedance spectroscopy (IS). The typical impedance spectra measured for an air/LSM- YSZ/YSZ/Pt/air cell at $700^{\circ}C$ were composed of two depressed arcs. Addition of YSZ to the LSM electrode significantly enlarged the triple-phase boundaries (TPB) length inside the electrode, which led to a pronounced decrease in cathodic resistivity of LSM-YSZ composite electrodes. Polishing the electrolyte surface to eliminate the influences of surface impurities and to enlarge the TPB length can further reduce cathode resistivity. The cathodic resistivity of the LSM- YSZ electrodes was a strong function of operation temperature, composition and particle size of cathode materials, applied current, and electrolyte surface roughness.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2008

In-situ lithiated NiO has been manufactured as a conventional cathode material of molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), however this material has a weakness for commercialization of MCFC because NiO is spontaneously dissolved into the electrolyte under MCFC operating conditions, resulting in short circuit between cathode and anode. In this research, therefore, $Co(OH)_2$-coated Ni powder was prepared by precipitation method with controlling pH at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. Modified cathode was fabricated by a conventional tape casting method and sintered at 700$^{\circ}C$ in a $H_2/N_2$ atmosphere, Based on characterization result, Pore size distribution and porosity was suitable for the cathode of MCFC. According to the result of dissolution, Ni solubility of modified cathode was 33% lower than that of conventional cathode. In addition, modified electrode showed a good performance from the single cell operation.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.231-242
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• 2023

Li₂O-based cathodes utilizing oxide-peroxide conversion are innovative next-generation cathodes that have the potential to surpass the capacity of current commercial cathodes. However, these cathodes are exposed to severe cathode-electrolyte side reactions owing to the formation of highly reactive superoxides (O^x-, 1 ≤ x < 2) from O^2- ions in the Li₂O structure during charging. Succinonitrile (SN) has been used as a stabilizer at the cathode/electrolyte interface to mitigate cathode-electrolyte side reactions. SN forms a protective layer through decomposition during cycling, potentially reducing unwanted side reactions at the interface. In this study, a composite of Li₂O and Ni-embedded reduced graphene oxide (LNGO) was used as the Li₂O-based cathode. The addition of SN effectively thinned the interfacial layer formed during cycling. The presence of a N-derived layer resulting from the decomposition of SN was observed after cycling, potentially suppressing the formation of undesirable reaction products and the growth of the interfacial layer. The cell with the SN additive exhibited an enhanced electrochemical performance, including increased usable capacity and improved cyclic performance. The results confirm that incorporating the SN additive effectively stabilizes the cathode-electrolyte interface in Li₂O-based cathodes.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.6 s.289
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• pp.369-375
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• 2006

[ $(Ba_{0.5}Sr_{0.5})_{0.99}Co_{x}Fe_{1-x}O_{3-{\delta}}$ ] [x=0.8, 0.2](BSCF) powders were synthesized by a Glycine-Nitrate Process (GNP) and the electrochemical performance of the BSCF cathode on a scandia stabilized zirconia, $[(Sc_{2}O_3)_{0.11}(ZrO_2)_{0.89}]-1Al_{2}O_3$ was investigated. In order to prevent unfavorable solid-state reactions between the cathode and zirconia electrolyte, a GDC ($Gd_{0.1}Ce_{0.9}O_{2-{delta}}$) buffer layer was applied on ScSZ. The BSCF (x = 0.8) cathode formed on GDC(Buffer)/ScSZ(Disk) showed poor electrochemical property, because the BSCF cathode layer peeled off after the heat-treatment. On the other hand, there were no delamination or peel off between the BSCF and GDC buffer layer, and the BSCF (x = 0.2) cathode exhibited fairly good electrochemical performances. It was considered that the observed phenomenon was associated with the thermal expansion mismatch between the cathode and buffer layer. The ohmic resistance of the double layer cathode was slightly lower than that of the single layer BSCF cathode due to the incorporation of platinum particle into the BSCF second layer.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.125-131
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• 2001

A long-term variation of electrode polarization in the MCFC has been analyzed successfully using a single cell with a Au, $CO_2/O_2$ reference electrode Four different cells with different components were operated and their electrode polarizations were analyzed. As published in the literatures, the cathode polarization was larger than that of the anode. The more stable operation of a single cell with the Al-coated cell frame up to 6,000hrs indicates that the corrosion at the cell frame, particularly wet seal area, plays an important role to determine the lifetime of a MCFC. At the initial stage of the cell operation, the voltage of the cell using a cathode stabilized by the $LiCoO_2$ coating was relatively low due to the high cathode polarization. As the cell was operated and the stabilized cathode was lithiated sufficiently, the cathode polarization decreased and the cell voltage was recovered. It was observed that the voltage of the cell using the $Li_2CO_3/Na_2CO_3$ electrolyte fluctuated with operation time and the cathode polarization fluctuated along with the cell voltage quite similarly. Although the mechanisms of the voltage fluctuation were not clear yet, the results imply that the voltage fluctuation was related with a reaction in the cathode side. After testing every single cell, the cathode polarization increased with the steep decrease in the cell voltage. Thus, the cathode should be improved in order to develop more durable MCFC.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.77-82
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• 2015

To increase the performance of solid oxide fuel cell operating at intermediate temperature ($600^{\circ}C{\sim}800^{\circ}C$), $Sm_{0.2}Ce_{0.8}O_2$ (SDC) thin layer was applied to the $La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}Mn_{0.8}Cu_{0.2}O_3$ (LSMCu) cathode by sol-gel coating method. The SDC was employed as a diffusion barrier layer on the yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ) to prevent the interlayer by-product formation of $SrZrO_3$ or $La_2Zr_2O_7$. The by-products were hardly formed at the electrolyte-cathode interlayer resulting to reduce the cathode polarization resistance. Moreover, SDC thin film was coated on the cathode pore wall surface to extend the triple phase boundary (TPB) area.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 2013

A modified two-point impedance spectroscopy technique exploits the geometric constriction between an electrolyte and a cathode with an emphasis on semispherical-shaped electrolytes. The spatial limitation in the electrolyte/electrode interface leads to local amplification of the electrochemical reaction occurring in the corresponding electrolyte/electrode region. The modified impedance spectroscopy was applied to electrical monitoring of a YSZ ($Y_2O_3$-stabilized $ZrO_2$)/SSC ($Sm_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}CoO_3$) system. The resolved bulk and interfacial component was numerically analyzed in combination with an equivalent circuit model. The effectiveness of the "spreading resistance" concept is validated by analysis of the electrode polarization in the cathode materials of solid oxide fuel cells.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.788-795
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• 2008

An electrolyte supported SOFC cell was tested at $800^{\circ}C$ in air for 3600 h with an applied current density of $200\;mA/cm^2$ to examine possible cathode degradation issues. A scandium- stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) with additional manganese doping (ScSZ: Mn) was used as electrolyte. A strontium and copper-doped lanthanum ferrite (LaSrCuFe) and platinum were used as cathode and quasi-anode material, respectively. The DC resistance was logged over the complete testing period. Additionally, impedance spectroscopy was used from time to time to track changes of the cell in-situ. Post-test analysis of the cell using methods like scanning electron microscopy imaging and other electrochemical testing methods allow the identification of different degradation sources. The results indicate a promising combination of electrolyte and cathode material in terms of chemical compatibility and electrical performance.