Investigation of the electrochemical property of solid oxide fuel cells with sputtered yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the most commonly used electrolyte material for solid oxide fuel cells. The use of relatively inexpensive metal components would require a trade-off in the lowering of the operating temperature below 800 °C. However, the reduced temperature results in an increased resistivity of YSZ. This can be overcome by reducing the electrolyte thickness using thin film techniques. In this study, the preparation of a thin film of YSZ via the sputter deposition technique was reported. YSZ electrolyte films were deposited on anode substrates at 650/750 °C. The gas permeability test indicated a gas-tight electrolyte with a gas leak rate < 6.65 × 10− 7 lcm− 2 s−1. The measured open circuit voltage was 1.1 V, while the maximum power density was 515 mW cm− 2.