Highly efficient La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ - Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 nanocomposite cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells

La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-delta-Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (LSM-CGO) nanostructured cathodes are successfully prepared in a single process by a chemical spray -pyrolysis deposition method. The cathode is composed of nanometric particles of approximately 15 nm of diameter, providing high triple-phase boundary sites for the oxygen reduction reactions. A low polarization resistance of 0.046 Omega cm(2) is obtained at 700 degrees C, which is comparable to the most efficient cobaltite-based perovskite cathodes. A NiO-YSZ anode supported fuel cell with the nanostructured cathode generates a power output of 1.4 W cm(-2) at 800 degrees C, significantly higher than 0.75 W cm(-2) for a cell with conventional LSM-CGO cathode. The results suggest that this is a promising strategy to achieve high efficiency electrodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in a single preparation step, simplifying notably the fabrication process compared to traditional methods.