Enhancement of cell performance using a gadolinium strontium cobaltite coated cathode in molten carbonate fuel cells

To enhance cathode performance, gadolinium strontium cobaltite (Gd _0.6Sr_0.4CoO₃, GSC) is coated onto a porous Ni plate by a vacuum suction method, for use as the cathode in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs). GSC is a mixed ionic and electronic conductor (MIEC) material, and thus has high electronic conductivity and catalytic activity at low temperatures. The electrode performance of the GSC-coated cathode is examined by various methods, such as single cell operation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). At 600 °C, the performance of a single cell using a GSC-coated cathode is 0.813 V. This result is very surprising given that the performance of an uncoated conventional cathode is 0.69 V. Impedance analysis confirms that a dramatic decrease in the charge transfer resistance after GSC coating is primarily responsible for the cell enhancement at low temperature. The reaction orders for O₂ and CO₂ at uncoated and GSC-coated cathodes are also examined via a symmetric cell test, to identify the reaction mechanism of oxygen reduction. The peroxide mechanism, which is known to be a fast reaction, is predominant for the GSC-coated cathode at low temperatures, whereas the superoxide mechanism is predominant for the uncoated cathode.