Femtosecond laser micromachining of metallic/ceramic composite material for solid oxide fuel cell devices

In a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), the high power output of interconnect/cathode interphase results from using a contact layer between both materials, which has adequate oxygen diffusion and high electron conduction. Ultrashort pulse laser drilling holes have been performed in a Fe22Cr mesh dipped into LaNi0.6Co0.4O3-δ (LNC), LaNi0.6Fe0.4O3-δ (LNF) and (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95Fe0.6Mn0.3Co0.1O3 (LSFMC) slurries to form alternative contact composites for SOFC. The optimal conditions to induce micro-pores with minimal damage in the suggested contact materials were 4000 laser pulses of 20 μJ and 40 fs width each one. The efficiency of laser micromachining in the studied specimens was independent of the ceramic composition. According to X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) chemical analysis, the laser effect on the initial elemental composition was very located without influencing the system performance.