Yang Man, Parupelli Santosh Kumar, Xu Zhigang, Desai Salil
Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Center of Excellence in Product Design and Advanced Manufacturing, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Micromachines (Basel). 2024 May 9;15(5):636. doi: 10.3390/mi15050636.
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a green energy technology that offers a cleaner and more efficient alternative to fossil fuels. The efficiency and utility of SOFCs can be enhanced by fabricating miniaturized component structures within the fuel cell footprint. In this research work, the parallel-connected inter-digitized design of micro-single-chamber SOFCs (µ-SC-SOFCs) was fabricated by a direct-write microfabrication technique. To understand and optimize the direct-write process, the cathode electrode slurry was investigated. Initially, the effects of dispersant Triton X-100 on LSCF (La0.6Sr0.2Fe0.8Co0.2O3-δ) slurry rheology was investigated. The effect of binder decomposition on the cathode electrode lines was evaluated, and further, the optimum sintering profile was determined. Results illustrate that the optimum concentration of Triton X-100 for different slurries was around 0.2-0.4% of the LSCF solid loading. A total of 60% of solid loading slurries had high viscosities and attained stability after 300 s. In addition, 40-50% solid loading slurries had relatively lower viscosity and attainted stability after 200 s. Solid loading and binder affected not only the slurry's viscosity but also its rheology behavior. Based on the findings of this research, a slurry with 50% solid loading, 12% binder, and 0.2% dispersant was determined to be the optimal value for the fabricating of SOFCs using the direct-write method. This research work establishes guidelines for fabricating the micro-single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells by optimizing the direct-write slurry deposition process with high accuracy.
固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）是一种绿色能源技术，它为化石燃料提供了一种更清洁、更高效的替代方案。通过在燃料电池占地面积内制造小型化的部件结构，可以提高SOFC的效率和实用性。在这项研究工作中，采用直写微加工技术制造了微单室SOFC（µ-SC-SOFC）的并联式叉指化设计。为了理解和优化直写工艺，对阴极电极浆料进行了研究。首先，研究了分散剂Triton X-100对LSCF（La0.6Sr0.2Fe0.8Co0.2O3-δ）浆料流变学的影响。评估了粘结剂分解对阴极电极线的影响，并进一步确定了最佳烧结曲线。结果表明，不同浆料中Triton X-100的最佳浓度约为LSCF固体负载量的0.2-0.4%。60%固体负载量的浆料具有高粘度，并在300秒后达到稳定性。此外，40-50%固体负载量的浆料具有相对较低的粘度，并在200秒后达到稳定性。固体负载量和粘结剂不仅影响浆料的粘度，还影响其流变行为。基于本研究的结果，确定了一种固体负载量为50%、粘结剂为12%、分散剂为0.2%的浆料是使用直写方法制造SOFC的最佳值。这项研究工作通过高精度优化直写浆料沉积工艺，为制造微单室固体氧化物燃料电池建立了指导方针。
