Measurements and Modeling of Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-x-Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 SOFC Cathodes Produced Using Infiltrate Solution Additives

Nanocomposite Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-x (SSC)-Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (GDC) solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes were produced by infiltrating SSC nitrate solutions into GDC scaffolds. A single infiltration of a concentrated solution resulted in a low polarization resistance of 0.1 cm(2) at 600 degrees C. Infiltrate solution additives slightly improved the SSC phase purity but did not significantly alter the SSC particle morphology/size or the infiltrated cathode polarization resistance. Polarization resistance predictions made using microstructural observations and a simple model were found to be within 35% of the experimentally measured values without the use of fitting parameters.