Electrophoretic fabrication of a-b plane oriented La₂NiO₄ cathode onto electrolyte in strong magnetic field for low-temperature operating solid oxide fuel cell

An oriented La₂NiO₄ cathode was successfully fabricated on a dense Gd₂O₃-doped CeO₂ electrolyte pre-coated with conducting polypyrrole by electrophoretic deposition in a static magnetic field of 12 T for use in low-temperature operating solid oxide fuel cell. The orientation of La₂NiO₄ was based on an anisotropic magnetic property in its crystal structure. Firm adhesion of the La₂NiO₄ cathode to an electrolyte was made by the co-deposition of starch added as a pore former. The La₂NiO₄ cathode with the preferential orientation of the a-b plane perpendicular to the surface of the electrolyte showed a polarization loss lower than that with a random orientation, leading to an enhancement in the cell performance at 500 °C.