Relationships between mechanical stability of the anode supports and electrochemical performance of intermediate-temperature SOFCs

Mechanical strength and microstructure of the anode supports are among the most critical factors affecting the long-term stability and performance of the intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). In this work, the anode supports made of Ni/NiO and 10 mol.% Sc2O3 and 1 mol.% Y2O3 co-stabilized zirconia (10Sc1YSZ) were fabricated by tape casting, followed by sintering and screen-printing of the anode functional layer of 10 mol.% Gd2O3 doped ceria (10GDC) and NiO. Then two dense solid-electrolyte layers, 8 mol.% Y2O3 stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) and 10GDC, were deposited by the reactive pulsed dual magnetron sputtering. Mechanical properties of as-sintered and reduced anode supports were estimated employing three-point bending technique. The power density of model anode-supported SOFCs, where mechanical stability of the support was kept after complete reduction in hydrogen, achieved 0.3 W/cm2 at 800°C and 0.6 V under air/hydrogen gradient.