Metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) have gained significant attention in recent years as a promising development branch for expanding application boundaries and reducing costs. To prevent rapid degradation of the metal substrate due to high-temperature operation, Gd2O3 doped CeO2 (GDC), which exhibits high conductivity at medium and low temperatures, has emerged as a promising candidate. Plasma spraying technology, which directly melts materials without requiring high-temperature sintering, can effectively suppress elemental interdiffusion between the metal substrate and the electrode. The spraying power of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) significantly impacts the microstructure and performance of the coating.
GDC electrolytes were prepared at spraying powers of 70, 75 and 80 kW through an APS system equipped with a Metco Triplex Pro-210 spray torch. For the single-particle deposition experiments, the traverse speed of the spray torch was set to 1 000 mm/s, and the particles were deposited onto a polished substrate. The Spray Watch 2i system was used to monitor the surface temperature and flight speed of the powder particles in the plasma jet, varying with different spraying distances and spraying powers. The deposition morphology of individual particles and the microstructure of cells were observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties of the electrolyte coatings were assessed with a nanoindenter, while the electrochemical performance, including open-circuit voltage, peak power density, and impedance, was measured through an electrochemical workstation.
The impact of spraying power on the density of the GDC electrolytes and the performance of the cells was systematically investigated. The results indicated that at a spraying power of 80 kW, the GDC powder particles in the plasma jet reached the highest surface temperature, resulting in improved melting and fewer voids during particle stacking. Furthermore, at 80 kW, the particles demonstrated higher flight speed, which further minimized the formation of pores and cracks. The GDC particles with optimal melting were deposited onto the substrate in a radial pattern, exhibiting a smooth, uniform deposition morphology and strong adhesion to the substrate, with no noticeable peeling. Additionally, no significant pores or cracks were observed in the coating deposited at 80 kW, and the coating porosity was only 5.26%. Columnar crystalline structures were observed within the coatings.
The GDC coating deposited at 80 kW exhibited excellent mechanical properties, with hardness and elastic modulus of (6.93±0.12) and (173.23±17.04) GPa, respectively. As the spraying power increased, the evaporation of Ce also increased, leading to compositional changes in the electrolyte and a reduction in cell performance. The dense electrolyte structure of the GDC cells fabricated at 80 kW spraying power led to superior electrochemical performance. At 600 ℃, the cell prepared at 80 kW exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 0.91 V, a peak power density of 219.86 mW/cm2, and an ohmic impedance of 0.64 Ω∙cm2. By calculating the conductivity of the electrolytes, at 600 ℃, the electrolyte conductivities cells under 70 kW, 75 kW and 80 kW were 0.006 6, 0.008 3, and 0.009 4 S/cm, respectively.
In summary, the coating deposited at 80 kW spraying power exhibited the best overall performance in terms of density, mechanical properties, and electrochemical performance.
Key words
metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell /
atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) /
Metco Triplex Pro-210 spray torch /
spraying power /
electrochemical performance
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Funding
National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFE0108000); The National Natural Science Foundation of China (52201069); Guangdong province Science and Technology Plan Projects (2023B1212060045, 2023B1212120008); Young Talent Project of GDAS (2024GDASQNRC- 0208); GDAS' project of Science and Technology Development(2024GDASZH-2024010102); GINM' Special Project of Science and Technology Development (2023GINMZX-202301020104); Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Project (2025A04J5111)
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