Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of Plasma Sprayed YSZ Electrolyte for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Application

Plasma spraying is a fast and inexpensive process for fabricating YSZ electrolyte for SOFCs. In this investigation, free-standing plasma sprayed YSZ disks are treated by spark plasma sintering at different temperatures, soak times, and loading cycles. SEM examination shows that the lamellar microstructure of the as-sprayed zirconia is converted to a predominantly granular structure with no significant phase changes as per XRD analysis. Microhardness and laser flash diffusivity measurements show that the SPS treatments also improve YSZ layer density, tensile modulus, and thermal conductivity. Paper includes a German-language abstract.