Improving solid oxide fuel cells with yttria-doped ceria interlayers by atomic layer deposition

By Fan, Zeng; Chao, Cheng-Chieh; Hossein-Babaei, Faraz & Prinz, Fritz B.
Published in J. Mater. Chem. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Abstract

The performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) was significantly enhanced through surface modification of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte by doped ceria interlayers. Ultra-thin yttria-doped-ceria (YDC) layers were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The doping concentrations of Y2O3 were finely tuned by changing the Ce : Y pulsing ratios. YDC layers were inserted between bulk YSZ electrolyte and a porous Pt cathode. The performance of SOFCs with different doping concentrations of YDC interlayers was measured using the linear sweep voltammetry method at operating temperatures between 300 and 500 [degree]C. The fuel cell performance was enhanced by a factor of 2-3.6 within the Y2O3 doping range of 12-17 M%. The enhanced performance was attributed to an increased oxide ion incorporation rate at the electrode/electrolyte interface.

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