Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Composite cathodes of 50/50 vol percent LSM-YSZ (La1-xSrxMnO3-yttria stabilized zirconia) were deposited onto dense YSZ electrolytes by a colloidal deposition technique. The cathode characteristics were then examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and studied by an impedance spectroscopy (IS). Conditioning effects of the LSM-YSZ cathodes were seen, and remedies for these effects were proposed for improving the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). LSM surface contamination and modification, cathode bonding to the YSZ electrolyte, changing Pt electrode and bonding paste, and curvature of sintered YSZ electrolytes led to some changes in microstructure and variability in cell performances.