Inkjet printing of solid oxide fuel cells and proton ceramic fuel cells

This paper reports successful synthesis of high performance components for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) by inkjet printing. The tested materials include La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) and Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ (GDC) for SOFCs and the PrBa0.5Sr0.5Co1.5Fe0.5O5+δ (PBSCF) for PCFCs. The ink sources are synthesized by solving the raw particles in an ethanol-water solution satisfying the fluidic conditions desired for use in a commercial HP inkjet printer. The inkjet-layers are adopted in anode-support type ceramic fuel cells. As a result, SOFCs with the inkjet-printed LSCF cathode has exhibited power of about 270 mW/cm2 at 650oC while the power is enhanced to 330 mW/cm2 with the inkjet-printed LSCF-GDC composite cathode. The PCFCs with the inkjet-printed PBSCF cathode have demonstrated power of about 720mW/cm2 at 650oC.