Elaboration of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Films on Porous Substrates

Abstract

The development of solid oxide fuel cell has shown that the thin film concept for the electrode supported designs, based on the yttria-stabilized zirconia, is more promising than the research of new electrolyte materials. In this work, the spray pyrolysis process was investigated in order to obtain dense thin films of YSZ on porous ceramic substrates. High porosity LSM, a typical material of SOFC cathodes, was used as substrate. The precursor solution was obtained by zirconium and yttrium salts dissolved in a mixture of ethanol and propylene glycol, with volume ratio 1:1. The substrate was heated and maintained at a constant temperature (280°C, 340°C or 560°C). The as-obtained films were heat treated in a temperature of 700°C, aiming to obtain yttria-stabilized-zirconia films from the amorphous film. The morphology and microstructure of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

Influence of the process parameters on the spray pyrolysis technique, on the synthesis of gadolinium doped-ceria thin film

“…Unlike closed vapor deposition methods, spray pyrolysis does not require a vacuum at any stage and can consequently be rapidly scaled up for industrial applications. The deposition rate and the thickness of the films can be controlled over a wide range by changing the spray parameters, thus eliminating the major drawbacks of chemical methods such as sol-gel depositions [26]. Operating at moderate temperatures (100-500 8C), spray pyrolysis can produce films on less robust materials such as polymer films, thin ceramic films, and porous metals, [27].…”