Tape casting of alternate electrolyte components for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) consists of four electrochemically active solid components, viz., a porous cathode, a porous anode, a dense electrolyte and a dense interconnect to form stacks. Tape casting technology involves the dispersion of inorganic ceramic particles (electrolyte) in a liquid (solvent) medium followed by the addition of organic binders, plasticizers and deflocculating or defoaming agents to fabricate a thin ceramic sheet. In this research work, the selection and loading level of additives have been optimized to fabricate alternate electrolyte components of SOFC viz. La_0.9Sr_0.1Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_3-_{<img src='/image/spc_char/delta1.gif' border=0>}, Ce_0.90Gd_0.10O_2-_{<img src='/image/spc_char/delta1.gif' border=0>}and Ce_0.80Sm_0.20O_2-_{<img src='/image/spc_char/delta1.gif' border=0>}by tape casting technique. In order to remove the organic substances from green electrolyte components and sintering, the heat treatment of green tapes has been optimized by thermogravimetry differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). The surface morphology of both green and pre-sintered components has been studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)