A photolithographic process for investigation of electrode reaction sites in solid oxide fuel cells

Electrode kinetics greatly influence the overall performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), especially at low temperatures. Yet little is known about the nature of SOFC electrode reactions. In this study, patterned electrodes of well-defined geometry were successfully deposited on YSZ (Y0.08Zr0.92O2−δ) electrolyte substrates through microfabrication techniques. Patterned LSM (La0.8Sr0.2MnO3) microelectrodes were capped with a TiO2 insulating layer in order to block the transport of ionic and electronic species across the surface thereby allowing separation of different reaction sites. The study confirms the feasibility of selectively blocking certain reaction sites in order to investigate complex electrochemical reaction mechanisms.