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.