Electrospun A-site deficient LSM nanofibers as high-performance cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

This study demonstrates the successful fabrication of (La 0.6 Sr 0.4 ) 0.95 MnO 3-δ (LSM) nanofibers via the electrospinning technique for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell application. The as-prepared LSM nanofiber cathode exhibit superior electrochemical performance compared to the conventional LSM cathode due to its unique three-dimensional network structure with enhanced oxygen vacancy concentration, larger specific surface area of 26.664 m 2  g −1 as well as improved oxygen surface exchange kinetics, thereby leading to a 14 % reduction in polarization resistance from 5.24 to 4.53 Ω cm −2 750 °C and a lowered activation energy from 0.81 to 0.70 eV in the symmetrical cell tests. Meanwhile, the single cell also achieves enhanced maximum power densities of 0.400, 0.289, and 0.153 W cm −2 at 800, 750, and 700 °C, respectively, and has the excellent operational stability over 50 h. Our findings in this work can provide valuable insights into the rational design of efficient and robust SOFC cathodes through the nanostructural engineering strategy such as the electrospinning technique.