Cobaltites high performances

The development of high-performance electrode and electrolyte materials for SOFC is an important step towards reducing the fuel cell operation temperature to the low and intermediate range (500 - 700 °C). As the operating temperature is reduced, many cell ports, such as the auxiliary components can be easily and cost-efficiently produced. To meet long operational lifetime, material compatibility and thermomechanical resistance would be less critical as the range of possibilities for lower temperature increases. To that end, recent research at UFRN, Natal, Brazil has successfully focused on novel synthesis processes based on microwave-assisted combustion and modified polymeric precursor methods in order to synthesize high performance cobaltite-based composite cathodes for low-intermediary-temp>erature SOFCs. 

Some perovskites have displayed effective performances as cathode materials in high-temperature fuel cells (SOFCs), although inherent barriers (e.g., electrolyte ohmic resistance and electrode overpotentials) to the reduction of operating temperatures for SOFCs must first be overcome. Some Sr-substituted cobaltites can act as mixed oxide-ion and electronic conductors, affording excellent cathode performance with very low overpotentials. 

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