Structural features and gas tightness of EB-PVD 1Ce10ScSZ electrolyte films

The structure of Ceria doped Scandia Stabilized Zirconia (1Ce10ScSZ) electrolyte film deposited by EB-PVD (Electron Beam-Physical Vapour Deposition) technique on NiO-ZrO2 substrate was characterized by electron microscopy. The highly porous substrate was densely covered by deposited film without any spallation. The produced electrolyte layer was of a columnar structure with bushes, bundles of a diameter up to 30 μm and diverse height. Between the columns, delamination cracks of few microns length were visible. The annealing of zirconia film at 1000 °C resulted in its densification. The columnar grains and delaminating cracks changed their shape into a bit rounded. High magnification studies revealed nanopores 5–60 nm formed along the boundaries of the columnar grains during annealing. High-quality contacts between the electrolyte film and anode substrate ensured good conductivity of the electrolyte film and high efficiency of SOFC.