Fabrication of YSZ electrolyte using electrostatic spray deposition (ESD):I ? a comprehensive parametric study

Abstract

Electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) was applied to fabricate a thin-layer (∼3 μm thickness) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte on a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode substrate consisting of nickel-YSZ cermet. Reducing the thickness of a state-of-the-art electrolyte, and thereby reducing the cell internal IR drop, is a promising strategy to make the intermediate temperature SOFC (ITSOFC) operating at 600–800 °C possible. About 8 mol% YSZ colloidal solution in ethanol was sprayed onto the substrate anode surface at 250–300 °C by ESD. After sintering the deposited layer at 1250–1400 °C for 17–6 h, the cathode layer, consisting of lanthanum strontium manganate (LSM), was sprayed or brush coated onto the electrolyte layer. Performance tests on the cell were carried out at 800 °C to evaluate the electrolyte layer formed by ESD. With a 97 H2/3 H2O mixture and air as fuel and oxidant gas, respectively, open circuit voltage (OCV) was found to be close to the theoretical value.