Plasma-Sprayed (Bi2O3)0.705 (Er2O3)0.245 (WO3)0.05 Electrolyte for Intermediate-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (IT-SOFCs)

Stabilized bismuth oxide material with fluorite structure (delta-Bi2O3) has been studied as a promising electrolyte material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) due to its high oxygen ion conductivity in mediate temperature. Especially, the ternary system Bi2O3-Er2O3-WO3 is widely concerned for its high ionic conductivity and thermal stability. In this study, regarding its low melting point, the possibility to deposit dense Bi2O3-Er2O3-WO3 ((Bi2O3)(0.705) (Er2O3)(0.245) (WO3)(0.05), EWSB) electrolyte by plasma spraying was examined. It was confirmed that the sintered EWSB bulk presents a high ion conductivity of 0.34 S cm(-1) at 750 degrees C and excellent stability that indicates no structure transformation and conductivity degradation after annealing at 600 degrees C for 1000 h. The phase structure and cross-sectional microstructure of plasma-sprayed EWSB were characterized by XRD and SEM. Results showed that the as-plasma-sprayed EWSB presents a dense microstructure with well bonded lamellae. The XRD showed the formation of EWSB with delta-phase and a trace of beta-phase, while the beta-phase disappeared after annealing at 750 degrees C for 10 h. The deposited EWSB electrolyte presented the excellent ionic conductivity of 0.26 S cm(-1) at 750 degrees C which can be directly applied to SOFC at intermediate temperature.