Investigations on Electrochemical Performance of a Proton-Conducting Ceramic-Electrolyte Fuel Cell with La0.8Sr0.2MnO3Cathode

The performance of a proton-conducting ceramic-electrolyte fuel cell (PCFC) with BaCe0.85Y0.15O3-δ (BCY15) electrolyte, NiO-BCY15 anode and La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) cathode is analyzed in different gas conditions in 600–750°C range. The distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analysis of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data obtained by varying the gas-flow rate, water vapor pressure (pH2O) and oxygen partial pressure (pO2) is performed to identify the major electrode sub-processes involved in overall electrode reactions. The study of variations in cathodic pO2 shows that the cathodic polarization due to the charge transfer reaction is the major contributor toward the overall electrode polarization resistance. The effect of electrolyte thickness on the fuel cell performance is also studied and a peak power density of ∼0.76 W⋅cm−2 at a current density of ∼1.95 A⋅cm−2 is achieved at 750°C with 8 μm thick electrolyte. The PCFC shows stable performance without any sign of material degradation during the long term operation at a fixed input current for 100 h. The fuel cell performance is compared with those of similar PCFCs with Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF5582), LSM-GDC, and LSM-BCY15 as cathodes, and possible reasons for the observed difference is discussed in terms of the nature of their conductivity.