Microwave Sintering of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Materials

pores;microwave;LSM;YSZ;Solid Oxide Fuel Cells;thermocouple;sintering

Kapoor, Abhishek Surinder ; Dr. Denis R. Cormier, Committee Chair,Dr. Ola L.A. Harrysson, Committee Member,Dr. Carl F. Zorowski, Committee Member,Kapoor, Abhishek Surinder ; Dr. Denis R. Cormier ; Committee Chair ; Dr. Ola L.A. Harrysson ; Committee Member ; Dr. Carl F. Zorowski ; Committee Member

University:North Carolina State University

关键词: pores;    microwave;    LSM;    YSZ;    Solid Oxide Fuel Cells;    thermocouple;    sintering;   

Others  :  https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstream/handle/1840.16/1150/etd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: null

【 摘 要 】

The influence of sintering temperature and hold time on the microstructure of of a microwave sintered LSM-YSZ (lanthanum strontium manganate - yttria stabilized zirconia) cathode has been studied. For experimental purposes, a microwave furnace was designed and fabricated with a closed loop temperature feedback control system. A type R thermocouple was used to provide accurate temperature readings inside the microwave cavity. An Allen Bradley Micrologix PLC was used to control the system. This furnace was used as a test bed for experiments involving the rapid sintering of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) materials.The SOFC specimens were made by depositing LSM-YSZ cathode material onto YSZ-8 electrolyte buttons. The specimens were sintered for a variety of temperatures and hold times. The microstructure obtained through microwave sintering showed equal or better pore size distribution as compared to those obtained through conventional sintering. The sintered structure was found to be less dense and to contain smaller pores as the sintering temperature was reduced to 1100°C or lower. Rapid sintering of SOFC materials has potential advantages in terms of SOFC performance and offers potential energy savings when compared with conventional sintering. This research has demonstrated the feasibility of rapid sintering of porous SOFC materials. The next step is to optimize the microwave sintering schedule with respect to the electrical performance and the long term stability of the SOFC.