Properties of bias-assisted sputtered gadolinia-doped ceria interlayers for solid oxide fuel cells

The growth and electrochemical properties of gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) interlayers deposited by bias-assisted magnetron sputtering in solid oxide fuel cells have been investigated. Such interlayers act as diffusion barriers to protect the yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte, preventing possible degradation when mixed ionic–electronic conductor (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O3−δ is used as the cathode. The dependence of the applied bias during the sputtering deposition on both the interlayer microstructure and fuel cell performance has been studied in anode-supported single cells. The main experimental results showed that bias-assisted sputtering of GDC interlayers produced microstructures denser than those of unbiased depositions, which resulted in increased electrochemical properties of fuel cells.