Atmospheric plasma spraying has emerged as a cost-effective alternative to traditional sintering processes for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) manufacturing. However, the use of plasma spraying for SOFCs presents unique challenges, mainly due to the high porosity required for the electrodes and fully dense coatings required for the electrolytes. By using optimized spray conditions combined with appropriate feedstocks, SOFC electrolytes and electrodes with required composition and microstructure could be deposited with an axial plasma spray system. In this paper, the challenges for manufacturing SOFC anodes, electrolytes, and cathodes are addressed. The effects of plasma parameters and different feedstocks on coating microstructure are discussed, and examples of optimized coating microstructures are given.

A porous composite cathode containing (La 0.8 Sr 0.2 ) 0.98 MnO 3 (LSM) and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) for use in a solid oxide fuel cell has been produced by air plasma spraying. Deposition was carried out using axial powder injection for increased deposition efficiency and composition control. A plasma composed of argon and nitrogen was used to decrease processing costs and avoid decomposition of the cathode material during deposition. Preliminary investigations focused on determining the range of plasma conditions under which each of the materials could be successfully deposited separately. A set of conditions was thereby determined that were suitable for the deposition of a composite cathode from pre-mixed LSM and YSZ powders. Graphite pore former was added to the powder mixture in order to achieve sufficient porosity in the final coating. A tape cast YSZ electrolyte was used as the substrate for the deposition of the cathode and also as the mechanical support layer in the finished cell. Following deposition of the cathode, an anode was produced by traditional wet ceramic processing techniques. Plasma sprayed cathode was characterized by SEM, EDX, and XRD, and the electrochemical performance of the full fuel cell was evaluated.