Oxygen Reduction Mechanism at Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ/Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 Composite Cathode for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

The oxygen reduction mechanism at porous Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ/Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 composite cathode, in which Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ is a perovskite type mixed ionic and electronic conductor (MIEC), was studied with respect to the oxygen partial pressure and temperature. Symmetric half cells with Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 electrolyte were prepared, and cathode behavior was measured by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at frequency range of 0.1Hz∼5MHz and temperature range of 400∼900°C. Oxygen partial pressure range for the measurement was from 0.0002 to 1atm. In present research, reaction model based on the empirical equivalent circuit was established. Three elementary reaction steps were considered to describe the oxygen reduction reaction at Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ/Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 composite cathode. Electrode resistances corresponding to the high and low frequency seem to represent the oxygen ion transfer at the interface of electrolyte and gas phase diffusion of oxygen, respectively, from electrochemical impedance analyses as functions of oxygen partial pressure and temperature. The medium frequency process is expected to correspond to the oxygen ion conduction in the bulk cathode from this study.