Temperature and Bias Effects on Sputtered Ceria Diffusion Barriers for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Author(s)

Fonseca, F. C. ^[1] ; Uhlenbruck, S. ^[2] ; Nedelec, R. ^[2] ; Sebold, D. ^[2] ; Buchkremer, H. P. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] IPEN CNEN SP, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, D-52425 Julich - Germany

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of the Electrochemical Society; v. 157, n. 10, p. B1515-B1519, 2010.
• Web of Science Citations: 9

Abstract

The effects of both temperature and applied bias power during the sputtering of gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) interlayers used as diffusion barriers in anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were studied. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that increasing the applied bias power, in the 0-300 W range, increasingly promotes the deposition of continuous and dense interlayers. Such feature was mirrored in the electrochemical performance of single cells that exhibited similar to 15% enhancement of the power density of an SOFC with bias-assisted sputtered interlayers. In addition, fuel cells having interlayers deposited in the 400-800 degrees C temperature range exhibited similar microstructure and electrochemical performances, indicating that the applied bias allows for the sputtering of GDC protective interlayers at relatively lower temperatures than unbiased depositions. The presented results evidenced that bias-assisted sputtering is an effective technique for the fabrication of high performance anode-supported SOFCs. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. {[}DOI: 10.1149/1.3476296] All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 07/08686-8 - Dense thin layers for the next generation of solid oxide fuel cells deposited by advanced PVD techniques
• Grantee: Fabio Coral Fonseca
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research