Fabrication of scandia-stabilized zirconia electrolyte with a porous and dense composite layer for solid oxide fuel cells

Scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) is a new candidate electrolyte for use in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) at intermediate temperatures. ScMnSZ ((ZrO2)(0.89)(Sc2O3)(0.1)(MnO2)(0.01)) powders for the electrolyte were synthesized using the Pechini and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) methods. The electrical conductivities of sintered ScMnSZ samples prepared by the Pechini and USP methods are determined to be 0.112 and 0.091 S/cm, respectively, at 800 degrees C. An additional porous ScMnSZ electrolyte layer onto the dense electrolyte layer through a dip-coating process is a possible means of increasing the triple-phase boundary (TPB) of a cell. The performance of an anode-supported single cell prepared using a porous and dense composite electrolyte is superior to that of a cell with only the dense electrolyte. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.