Fabrication and Interfacial Structure of Ni-YSZ-LSM Porous Scaffold for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A novel process route using tape casting and stacking for fabricating porous scaffold of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) was demonstrated. The linear shrinkages of anode (Ni-YSZ, YSZ stands for 3% Y_2O_3(mole fraction) stabilized ZrO_2) and cathode (LSM-YSZ, LSM stands for La_(0.8)Sr_(0.2)Mn0_3) were optimized to be uniform with that of electrolyte during sintering, by controlling the content of pore former. The micromorphology and interface microstructure of the cross-section of the porous scaffold were observed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The element distribution and phase composition were analyzed by energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The results showed that the porous scaffold with regular pore shape and high specific surface area was obtained after sintering at 1 350℃. The fabricated porous scaffold had defect free interfacial structures due to the uniform shrinkage of anode, cathode and electrolyte layers. In addition, it was shown that diffusions of Zr, Ni and La caused a progressive boundary between YSZ, Ni-YSZ and LSM-YSZ layers. The interface between anode and electrolyte (Ni-YSZ/YSZ) was mainly composed of Ni, YSZ and a small amount of NiO, and the interface between cathode and electrolyte (LSM-YSZ/YSZ) was mainly composed of YSZ, LSM and a small amount of La_2Zr_2O_7.     

Mode Mixity for Orthotropic Interface Delamination in Laminated Composites

The mode mixity is defined based on nonoscillatory strain energy release rate components of delamination between two different orthotropic materials to evaluate the delamination behavior of laminated composites.The result showes that the relative location of the delamination through the thickness influences the mode mixity in a relatively well-regulated way,and that the reinforcement directions of the adjacent plies along the delamination front have a more complicated impact on the mode mixity.This is caused by the bending/twist coupling and bending/bending coupling in the stress field at the crack tip for delamination between multidirectional plies,which completely modifies the stress and strain fields ahead of the crack tip.These kinds of couplings account for the non-uniform distribution of mode mixity values along the delamination front.Application of appropriate mode mixity values is necessary for accurate prediction of delamination growth.