Preparation of yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte via atmospheric plasma spraying for metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells

Plasma spraying under low chamber pressure has been proven to be capable of preparing dense MS-SOFC electrolytes, but it is costly and inefficient. In this study, atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) as a low-cost and high efficiency alternative was attempted to prepare yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. Different spraying distances were adopted to investigate the effects of in-flight particle states on the coating microstructure and properties. The results show that due to the YSZ particle temperature increasing with spraying distance, the YSZ splats have more internal microcracks and more regular morphologies. At the spraying distance of 80 mm, the high particle velocity and plasma heating effect combine to create a dense YSZ coating with a porosity of 3.56 %. Additionally, the nanohardness and elastic modulus of this coating reaches 15.6 +/- 0.8 GPa and 209.6 +/- 4.5 GPa, respectively. The MS-SOFC with the dense YSZ electrolyte, achieve a maximum power density of 902 mW & sdot;cm-2 and ohmic resistance of 0.10 omega & sdot;cm2 at 900 degrees C. This work demonstrates the feasibility of APS in the efficient preparation of MS-SOFCs electrolytes through optimized particle deposition.