Proton-conducting ceramics as electrode/electrolyte materials for SOFC's - part 1: preparation, mechanical and thermal properties of sintered bodies

The aim of these investigations was to prepare and to examine compounds of a high temperature solid oxide fuel cell with a proton conducting electrolyte in view of the mechanical and thermal properties. The powders were made by the conventional solid reaction of carbonates and oxides. The stoichiometry of the electrolyte Ba,Ca niobate (BCN) was varied with x = 0, x = 0.12 and x = 0.18. As potential cathode material SrCeO3 and SrZrO3 stabilised with 5% Yb was prepared, and as anode material cermet of BCN and Ni with 50:50 wt.% was synthesised. The mechanical properties like bending strength (room and high temperature), Young modulus (E), modulus of rigidity (G), Poison's ratio, micro hardness and fracture toughness were measured on sintered samples. The highest values for bending strength, E and G could be found for BCN12 (156 MPa, 160 GPa, 63 GPa) and the cerate (175 MPa, 145 GPa, 56 GPa), the lowest for the cermet BCN/Ni (72 MPa, 68 GPa, 29 GPa). The investigation of the thermal properties of the bulk material showed a thermal stability to a temperature of 1400 degreesC. The thermal expansion coefficient measured at 1000 degreesC was found to be in the range of 10-12x10(-6)/K. Further investigations with respect to the mechanical and thermal properties have to be made for the whole system of cathode-electrolyte-anode. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.