Property of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Having a Thin Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Electrolyte Film Grown by RF Ion Plating Method

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a thin yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte was prepared on the anode electrode of a porous Ni-YSZ cermet substrate using the RF ion plating method. The constitutional YSZ electrolyte films were characterized based on dependence on the electron beam current and annealing treatment. A thin YSZ electrolyte film evaporated at higher electron emission current indicated a columnar structure with longitudinal pinholes in the film. By annealing temperature above 1300°C, YSZ film was improved as a denser film having a bulk electrolyte structure. Furthermore, the conductivity of thin YSZ film was increased with increasing the annealing temperature, although its conductivity became smaller by about three figures than the theoretical value of the bulk electrolyte.