Characterization and Modeling of Infiltrated SOFC Cathode

Infiltration (or impregnation) methods have been widely employed to fabricate composite electrodes in SOFC. Infiltrated electrodes were also experimentally demonstrated to have larger TPB length compared to conventional composite cathodes due to the introduction of nano-sized oxide particles. Many infiltrants have been applied to SOFC cathodes, with the principal assumption that infiltrants having high oxygen absorption capabilities enhance oxygen flux into the cathode backbone and thus improve the cathode performance. However, few systematic investigations exist on oxygen reduction and reaction (ORR) mechanisms in infiltrated SOFC cathodes. In this paper, we report our studies on several issues related to infiltrated cathode: