XPS CHARACTERIZATION OF A SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a highly surface-sensitive and quantitative technique for the chemical characterisation of surfaces and thin films. As a consequence of its sampling depth of a few nanometres, XPS is ideally suited to the analysis of a range of materials and devices that have been engineered on the nanometer scale. For thin films and multilayered devices, the technique can be combined with a chemically inert sputtering source to provide chemical composition information as a function of depth. Composition depth profiles are ideal for investigating both interlayer and interfacial chemistry, which is difficult to access with other more bulk sensitive techniques.

Solid oxide fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert a fuel directly into electricity. They are characterized by high efficiency, low emissions and long term stability. The fuel cell device consists of porous cathodic and anodic layers with a dense, solid oxide electrolyte between them. In this presentation XPS was used to study a candidate cathode material before and after annealing in air at high temperature, simulating the thermal cycling of a real solid oxide fuel cell device. Analyzed layers are the cathode layer as well as the interface layer between cathode and electrode.