The influence of screen-printing parameters on the microstructure and gas permeance of a zirconia electrolyte

Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) was screen-printed onto the surface of porous pre-fired substrates using different mesh thicknesses. As deposited layer thickness increased from 46 to 310 μm, the resultant sintered layer thickness increased from 3 to 17 μm, resulting in a reduction in grain size from 2.2 to 0.9 μm and relative density from 0.94 to 0.81. The gas permeance through the constrained sintered film was measured and the lowest gas permeance of 1.3 × 10−4 mbar l s−1 cm−2 was recorded for a layer with a thickness of 9 μm, indicating that a number of parameters need to be considered together to achieve the optimum microstructure.