Proton conducting solid oxide fuel cells (p-SOFC) have received attention recently as an alternative to traditional high temperature SOFCs [1]. This new class of p-SOFCs offer the potential to significantly reduce the cost of production due to the opportunity to lower the operating temperature from upwards of 800 °C down to as low as 500 °C. This shift is made possible by a modified class of ion conducting materials such as yttrium doped barium zirconate (BYZ) which has comparable ionic conductivity to yttria-stabilized zirconia at lower temperatures [2]. With a decrease in the operating temperature, it becomes possible to make use of inexpensive materials for cell construction such as stainless steels vs. expensive super alloys. This cost savings is a major driver towards practical commercialization of p-SOFCs. This work seeks to employ a novel flame based technique, Reactive Spray Deposition Technology (RSDT) [3], in manufacturing of a complete p-SOFC on a metal support. This technique involves dissolving organometallic precursor compounds (typically ethlyhexanoate ligands) into combustible solvents. The mixture is sprayed from an atomizing nozzle in an open atmosphere and ignited. The resulting heat of combustion due to the solvent is used to decompose the dissolved compounds and produce thin films via gas to particle conversion. The use of the flame eliminates the need for separate, costly sintering steps generally needed in traditional manufacturing processes. Secondary nozzles can be utilized to introduce different support and binder materials resulting in a single-step manufacturing process for the anode, electrolyte, and cathode of the p-SOFC. The current work focuses on the production and initial characterization of a p-SOFC using a Ni-BYZ anode, BYZ electrolyte, and lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) cathode on a porous metal support. The deposited materials are characterized using SEM, STEM, and XRD techniques. Initial button cell performance is also reported.

References:

[1] F. Lefebvre-Joud and G. Gauthier, and J. Mougin, J. Appl. Electrochem., 39 (2009) 535-543.

[2] Y. Yoshihiro, R. Hernandez-Sanchez, and S. M. Haile, Chem. Mater., 21 (2009) 2755-2762.

[3] R. Maric, J. Roller, and R. Neagu, J. Therm. Spray Techn., 20 (2011) 696-718.