The high operating temperature of SOFCs can produces the formation of insulating interphases in the electrolyte-cathode interface contributing for the efficiency loss. As an example, there is the formation of zirconates in the interface strontium doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) - yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). Another important aspect in SOFCs concerns to the use of an electrolyte material with a higher ionic conductivity at lower temperatures than that of YSZ. Yttria doped ceria (CY) is an example of this kind of material. This feature is important to reduce the operating temperature of SOFC minimizing the problems related to their high operating temperature. Therefore, if one intends to use CY as an electrolyte in SOFC it is important to evaluate the possibility of any insulating phase formation involving this material and the cathode material, as doped lanthanum perovskites. To verify possible deleterious reactions between yttria doped ceria and two kinds of perovskites cathode, LSM and LSCF, in this work CY composition was doped with two set of ions: La, Sr, Mn and La, Sr, Fe, Co. The doping increased the grain electrical conductivity while the effective grain boundary conductivity decreased, for both set of dopant. Although, the total electrical conductivity stayed almost constant. The La, Mn, Sr doped sample was more stable at high temperature compared with the undoped CY composition.
yttria-doped ceria; lanthanum perovskite; electrical properties; microstructure
