Fracture toughness of solid oxide fuel cell anode substrates determined by a double-torsion technique

Planar solid oxide fuel cell anode substrates are exposed to high mechanical loads during assembly, start-up, steady-state operation and thermal cycling. Hence, characterization of mechanical stability of anode substrates under different oxidation states and at relevant temperatures is essential to warrant a reliable operation of solid oxide fuel cells. As a basis for mechanical assessment of brittle supports, two most common anode substrate material variants, NiO-3YSZ and NiO-8YSZ, were analyzed in this study with respect to their fracture toughness at room temperature and at a typical stack operation temperature of 800 °C. The study considered both, oxidized and reduced materials' states, where also an outlook is given on the behavior of the re-oxidized state that might be induced by malfunctions of sealants or other functional components. Aiming at the improvement of material's production, different types of warm pressed and tape cast NiO-8YSZ substrates were characterized in oxidized and reduced states. Overall, the results confirmed superior fracture toughness of 3YSZ compared to 8YSZ based composites in the oxidized state, whereas in the reduced state 3YSZ based composites showed similar fracture toughness at room temperature, but a higher value at 800 °C compared to 8YSZ based composites. Complementary microstructural analysis aided the interpretation of mechanical characterization.