Preparation of tubular YSZ electrolyte and its application in solid oxide fuel cells

The dense yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte tubes with thin walls were fabricated by improved slip casting method by using 8 mol% YSZ powders as starting materials, and Arabic gum as dispersant and binder. The length of these tubes were 226-260 mm, the thickness of the walls were around 0.4-0.9 mm. The plaster mould was designed and made without core of die. The effect of milling time on the stability of slurry, and the influence of sintering temperatures upon the densities of the sintered ceramics were investigated. The research results showed that the stability of slurry is better in the ranges of milling time 75-140 min, the densities of the samples are enhanced with the sintering temperatures rising. The solid oxide fuel cells were made of these YSZ tubes, the electrical performance of SOFC increased obviously with the temperature rising. The maximum output power is 2.2 W for three cells in series.