Abstract
To improve the performance of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes, nanoparticles are introduced to the porous electrodes by infiltration technique and its effect is investigated by electrochemical measurements and microstructural analysis. A solution containing active metals is introduced into the porous electrodes, followed by heat treatment yielding precipitation of nanoparticles. GDC (gadolinia-doped ceria) infiltration into LSCF (lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite) cathode and Ni infiltration to YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) scaffold are performed. In the GDC-infiltrated cathode, it is confirmed that the GDC nanoparticles of several tens of nm are introduced, which increases the density of the electrochemical reaction sites, and thereby improves the electrochemical activity. In the Ni-infiltrated anode, the performance at low temperature is improved. These suggest the effectiveness of the infiltration technique to enhance electrode performance.
