Mechanical Integrity of Micro Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

A fundamental issue with microtubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) is improvement of the mechanical properties of the cell. Fabricated using extrusion and co-firing techniques, the 0.8 mm diameter tubes are composed of NiO doped ceria (GDC) as an anode (support tube), GDC as an electrolyte and La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.6Fe_0.4O₃ (LSCF) GDC as a cathode. The mechanical properties of SOFCs are analyzed through burst testing, c-ring testing, and micro- and nano-indentation testing. This paper will relate the processing methods to mechanical properties for fabrication of the micro-tubes.