Protonic ceramic fuel cells with slurry-spin coated BaZr_0.2Ce_0.6Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_{3- δ} thin-film electrolytes

In this study, we report the successful fabrication of thin-film proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) using a slurry spin coating technique. BaZr_0.2Ce_0.6Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_3-δ (BZCYYb) and PrBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1.5Fe_0.5O_5+δ are used as the proton ceramic electrolyte and cathode material, respectively. All the active element layers, including the anode functional layers, electrolyte, and cathode, are fabricated by spin coating on the NiO-BZCYYb anode support pellet. The PCFCs exhibit reasonably high performance with peak power densities of 250–650 mW/cm² at the intermediate temperature (IT) range of 500–600 °C, proving the cell production feasibility of spin coating. In this study, it is confirmed that the fabrication variables influence the morphological properties, such as grain sizes, demonstrating the improvement in charge transport rate and polarization performance of the cathode. The PCFCs also exhibit excellent long-term stability, with no apparent degradation for over 80 h. These results clearly show the spin coating method has great potential in the upcoming mass production of ceramic fuel cells, regarding its ease of manufacture and economy.