Additive manufacturing of thin electrolyte layers via inkjet printing of highly-stable ceramic inks

Abstract

Inkjet printing is a promising alternative for the fabrication of thin film components for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its contactless, mask free, and controllable printing process. In order to obtain satisfying electrolyte thin layer structures in anode-supported SOFCs, the preparation of suitable electrolyte ceramic inks is a key. At present, such a kind of 8 mol% Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (8YSZ) electrolyte ceramic ink with long-term stability and high solid loading (> 15 wt%) seems rare for precise inkjet printing, and a number of characterization and performance aspects of the inks, such as homogeneity, viscosity, and printability, should be studied. In this study, 8YSZ ceramic inks of varied compositions were developed for inkjet printing of SOFC ceramic electrolyte layers. The dispersing effect of two types of dispersants, i.e., polyacrylic acid ammonium (PAANH4) and polyacrylic acid (PAA), were compared. The results show that ultrasonic dispersion treatment can help effectively disperse the ceramic particles in the inks. PAANH4 has a better dispersion effect for the inks developed in this study. The inks show excellent printable performance in the actual printing process. The stability of the ink can be maintained for a storage period of over 30 days with the help of initial ultrasonic dispersion. Finally, micron-size thin 8YSZ electrolyte films were successfully fabricated through inkjet printing and sintering, based on the as-developed high solid loading 8YSZ inks (20 wt%). The films show fully dense and intact structural morphology and smooth interfacial bonding, offering an improved structural quality of electrolyte for enhanced SOFC performance.

A review on the ceramic additive manufacturing technologies and availability of equipment and materials

“…However, few articles have been recently published on the topic. Usually, very thin ceramic (thickness smaller than 1 mm) bodies were fabricated [30,133,141], aiming to produce cathodes/electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells [30,141] or dielectric resonator antenna [135]. There is very little information about the properties of parts produced by ceramic material jetting.…”

Advances in Inkjet‐Printed Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

“…In their most recent work, published by the same authors, a similar study on stabilizing water‐based inks to print layers of YSZ with the same FujiFilm Dimatix DMP 2850 inkjet printer, was elaborated. [ 109 ] Commercial YSZ ceramic powders were dispersed in water, in solid loadings up to 20 wt%, by utilizing an ultrasonic probe in order to break up agglomerated particles. Additionally, two types of dispersants were tested for their dispersion stability, either PAA for electrostatic stabilization of the ink, or polyacrylic acid ammonium (PAANH 4 ) for electrosteric stabilization in different concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 2.00 wt%.…”

High-temperature transport properties of BaSn1−xScxO3−δ ceramic materials as promising electrolytes for protonic ceramic fuel cells

“…The need to facilitate the efficient production, conversion, restrictions on their widespread use in SOFCs [5][6][7]. Therefore, the strategy of applying intermediatetemperature proton conductors in these devices is very promising for lowering the operating temperatures, and as a result, increasing the lifetime of the SOFC while maintaining excellent power performance [8][9][10].…”