Fabrication of symmetrical La_0.7Ca_0.3Cr_0.8mn_0.2O_3-δ electrode scaffold-type micro tubular solid oxide fuel cells by electrophoretic deposition

Symmetrical La_0.7Ca_0.3Cr_0.8Mn_0.2O_3-δ (LCCM) electrode scaffold-type microtubular solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were fabricated via electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Multi-layers of the LCCM-YSZ anode, an YSZ electrolyte, and an LCCM-YSZ cathode were deposited in consecutive order on a graphite rod via EPD. Since both the cathode and anode were used with the same material, a single cell could be obtained by a one-step co-firing processing. While electrical conductivity increased with the amount of phosphate ester (PE) as a charging agent, the pH decreased. The thickness of the YSZ electrolyte layer increased with the applied voltage and deposition time. The maximum power density of the symmetrical microtubular SOFC single cells with the configuration of LCCM-YSZ anode//YSZ electrolyte//LCCM-YSZ cathode was 106 and 141 mW/cm² at 500 and 600°C, respectively. After the 10^th redox cycle, the single cell exhibited no significant performance degradation.