Electrochemical performance of YSZ coupled Ba_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Fe_(0.9)Cu_(0.1)O_(3-δ) electrode at intermediate temperature

Synthesis of electrolyte 8% Y2O3 Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and characterization of electrical conductivity with BSFC Ba0.5Sr0.5Fe0.9Cu0.1O3-δ (BSFC) electrode have been conducted. YSZ and BSFC were synthesized using sol-gel self-combustion. YSZ powder was calcined at 700℃ for 2 hours, then pressed into a disk and sintered at 1550 ⁰C for 6 hours. While BSFC powder was calcined at 850 ℃ for 6 hours and sintered at 1100 ⁰C for 6 hours. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that calcined powder of both YSZ and BSFC has cubic structure possessing space group (Fm-3m) and (Pm-3m), respectively. The lattice parameter of the YSZ a = 5.17 Å and the crystallite size Φ ≈ 11 nm were evaluated using the Debye-Scherer equation. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that BSFC can adhere well to the surface of YSZ. The electrical behavior of the YSZ and half-cell BSFC||YSZ||BSFC measured at 150- 850 ⁰C shows the resistivity decreased with increasing temperature. The resistivity of BSFC||YSZ||BSFC is lower than YSZ due to the influence of BSFC. Cathode material BSFC is suitable for YSZ electrolytes.