Effects of Processing Parameters and Additives on Electrophoretic Deposited LSCF6428 Films

The application of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method in the fabrication of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) components has attracted interest. The EPD method frequently employs organic or non-aqueous solvent for the fabrication of SOFC components especially electrolyte. In this study, the LSCF6428 film was developed via the EPD method using an aqueous solvent. To begin with, 1 wt % of LSCF6428 powder was suspended in deionised water. The EPD process was then applied on the suspension with pH 3. An increase in the applied voltage (3-7 V) and deposition time (3-10 min) was found to contribute to the increased amount of the deposited LSCF6428 films. With reference to the higher amount and uniform deposition of films, the use of starch as an additive material has been shown to successfully improve the quality of the deposited films. The applied voltage and drying conditions must be carefully selected in order to avoid cracking of the deposited films. The results showed strong dependence of the morphology and weight of the LSCF6428 films on the applied voltage, deposition time and the use of additive materials in the EPD process. (author)