Dominant factors influencing the electrochemical performance of plasma sprayed LSGM electrolyte

Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is promising to fabricate functional layers for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this article, the factors dominating the performance of APS Mg/Sr-doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM) electrolyte for intermediate-temperature SOFCs will be introduced based on our recent systematic investigation. It is found that the evaporation of Ga during plasma spraying is significantly influenced by spray particle size, which remarkably affects the properties of plasma-sprayed LSGM deposit. Moreover, it is revealed that the application of the critical deposition temperature concept to the deposition of LSGM results in the fabrication of a dense LSGM with excellent lamellar bonding. The dense LSGM electrolyte exhibits an ionic conductivity of ∼80% of sintered bulk LSGM. The electrochemical performance test confirms that the SOFC cell assembled with APS LSGM electrolyte shows high performance with a maximum output power density of 712 mW/cm² at 800°C using H₂/air. Thus, it is possible to prepare superior LSGM electrolyte membranes by APS.