Fabrication of Anode-Supported SOFC Single Cells via Tape-Casting of Thin Tapes and Co-Firing

An anode-supported SOFC single cell having 5 mu m thin electrolyte was fabricated cost-effectively by tape casting, laminating, and co-firing of anode (NiO-YSZ), cathode (LSM-YSZ), and electrolyte (YSZ) components. The optimal slurry compositions of the green tapes for SOFC components were determined by an analysis of the mean diameter, the slurry viscosity, the tensile strength/strain of the green tapes, and their green microstructures. The single cells with a dense electrolyte and porous electrodes could be co-fired successfully at 1325 similar to 1350 degrees C by controlling the contents of pore former and the ratio of coarse YSZ and fine YSZ in the anode and the cathode. The single cell co-fired at 1350 degrees C showed 100.2 mWcm(-2) of maximum power density at 800 degrees C but it was impossible to apply it to operate at low temperature because of low performance and high ASR, which were attributed to formation of the secondary phases in the cathode and the interface between the electrolyte and the cathode.