Development of yttria-stabilized zirconia thin films via slurry spin coating for intermediate-to-low temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films were successfully fabricated on porous NiO–YSZ anode substrates via a slurry spin coating method. With 34-μm-thick Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC)-impregnated La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSM) cathodes, a single cell based on a 9-μm-thick YSZ film exhibited a good performance at intermediate-to-low temperature. The cell produced an open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.08 V, and maximum power densities of 0.42 and 0.70 W cm−2 at 650 °C, while the cathode was exposed to the stationary air and blown with 100 mL min−1 oxygen airflow, respectively. Enhanced cell performance with oxygen airflow was attributed to the improved cathode performance. By separating the total voltage drop into ohmic and non-ohmic contributions, it could be concluded that the cell performance was primarily determined by the polarization of the electrodes. It is believed that by optimizing the film fabrication process and improving the cathode performance, intermediate-to-low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on supported YSZ electrolyte thin films could be put into practice in not far future.