Tape casting of lanthanum chromite for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

Abstract

A method, based on tape-casting, is developed for the manufacture of ceramic interconnects for SOFCs. The development of an optimized process is shown with a discussion of the effects on the precursor-slurry quality and viscosity of, among other things, the concentrations of ammonia, binder and solid particles. Furthermore the effects of some processing modifications, such as the drying rate in the tape casting machine, the speed of the transport band and the doctor blade height on the quality (density and homogeneity) of the green tapes and the finished product are discussed. Improving the degree of dispersion of the primary particles in the slurry was found to make possible improved densification and quality of the thick plates produced as did reducing the drying rate of the wet tapes during the casting process.