Characterization and Performance of Proton Conducting Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Manufactured Using Reactive Spray Deposition Technology

Abstract

Proton conducting solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have received attention as a possible alternative to traditional oxygen anion conducting SOFCs. The reason is existing proton conducting perovskites display ionic conductivity similar to yttria-stabilized zirconia at lower temperatures. Lower operating temperatures alleviate durability issues and open the door for the use of low cost stainless steels in cell construction. This study examines the use of reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT) as a means of producing a low cost, metal supported proton conducting SOFC by directly depositing layer after layer onto a metal substrate and with a no need for additional sintering steps. The deposited materials are characterized using SEM, STEM, and XRD techniques.