Strontium Diffusion in Magnetron Sputtered Gadolinia-Doped Ceria Thin Film Barrier Coatings for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Strontium (Sr) diffusion in magnetron sputtered gadolinia-doped ceria (CGO) thin films is investigated. For this purpose, a model system consisting of a screen printed (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O3- (LSCF) layer, and thin films of CGO and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is prepared to simulate a solid oxide fuel cell. This setup allows observation of Sr diffusion by observing SrZrO3 formation using X-ray diffraction while annealing. Subsequent electron microscopy confirms the results. This approach presents a simple method for assessing the quality of CGO barriers without the need for a complete fuel cell test setup. CGO films with thicknesses ranging from 250 nm to 1.2 m are tested at temperatures from 850 degrees C to 1000 degrees C which yields an in-depth understanding of Sr diffusion through CGO thin films that may be of high scientific and technical interest for implementation of novel fuel cell materials. Sr is found to diffuse along column/grain boundaries in the CGO films but by modifying the film thickness and microstructure the breaking temperature of the barrier can be increased.