Synthesis and Charactrization of PrMno3 Cathode Material for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Praseodymium manganite cathode material PrMnO3 was obtained by assisted combustion method at a temperature of 600 °C using aspartic acid as fuel. This process remarkably reduced the synthesis time and temperature. The obtained nano crystalline structure of PrMnO3 powder was confirmed by XRD studies. The nano particle size was confirmed by X-ray line broadening analysis using the Scherrer equation. Thermal decomposition behavior of the as prepared powder was carried out by thermo gravimetry analysis. The thermo gravimetric profile of the as prepared powder showed a weight loss for the sample prepared with aspartic acid with the higher combustion temperature. The surface morphology of PrMnO3 was investigated by SEM analysis. The synthesized material showed reasonable electrical conductivity and the four probe dc technique was used to determine the electrical conductivity of PrMnO3 nano powder.