One-step fabrication of composite nanofibers for solid oxide fuel cell electrodes

Given the dominant portion of oxygen reduction reactions at the electrodes, the development of an advanced electrode is critical for high-performance solid oxide fuel cells operating at intermediate temperatures. Here, Sm_0.5Sr_0·5CoO_3-δ and Gd_0.2Ce_0·8O_1.9 composite nanofibers are fabricated by the one-step electrospinning process and evaluated as the electrode of intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs), showing the 36% improved electrode performance compare to the SSC nanofiber-based cathodes at 650 °C for 100 h. The simultaneous phase formation with precursor-based one-step electrospinning ensures that the desired structural properties, including maximized heterointerfaces, increased grain boundary density, and tensile strain state, are achieved to promote oxygen reduction reactions at the cathodes. These results can provide design guidelines to utilize nanostructured electrodes by engineering the structural properties, and thus, to develop high-performance IT-SOFCs.