Proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with Y-doped BaZrO3 electrolyte

Abstract

Y-doped BaZrO3 (BZY) electrolyte films are successfully fabricated by utilizing the driving force from the anode substrate, aiming to circumvent the refractory nature of BZY materials. The BZY electrolyte film on the high shrinkage anode becomes dense after sintering even though no sintering aid is added, while the BZY electrolyte remains porous on the conventional anode substrate after the same treatment. The resulting BZY electrolyte shows a high conductivity of 4.5×10−3S cm−1 at 600°C, which is 2 to 20 times higher than that for most of BZY electrolyte films in previous reports. In addition, the fuel cell with this BZY electrolyte generates a high power output of 267mW cm−2 at 600°C. These results suggest the strategy presented in this study provides a promising way to prepare BZY electrolyte films for fuel cell applications.