Continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis of Gd-doped CeO2 (GDC) nanoparticles for inkjet printing of SOFC electrolytes

TL;DR

This paper reports the synthesis of Gd-doped CeO2 nanoparticles with controllable size and shape via continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis, and demonstrates their application in inkjet printing of dense SOFC electrolyte layers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel synthesis method for GDC nanoparticles with tailored properties and explores their use in inkjet-printed SOFC electrolytes.

Findings

Particle sizes between 6 and 40 nm achieved.

Inks with excellent printability formulated.

Dense GDC layers successfully printed on NiO-YSZ substrates.

Abstract

GdxCe1-xO2-d (GDC) nanoparticles were synthesized, using continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis. By varying the synthesis conditions, particle size and morphology could be tailored. Here, particle sizes between 6 and 40 nm with polyhedral or octahedral shape could be obtained. Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-d nanoparticles were further processed into inks for inkjet printing. Despite the small particle size/large surface area, inks with excellent printing behavior were formulated. For proof-of-concept, thin GDC layers were printed on a) green NiO-GDC substrates, and on b) presintered NiO-YSZ substrates. While no dense layers could be obtained on the green NiO-GDC substrates, GDC nanoparticles printed on NiO-YSZ substrates formed a dense continuous layer after firing.