Chemically Inert Hydrocarbon-Based Slurries for Rapid Laser Sintering of Thin Proton-Conducting Ceramics

The process of rapid laser sintering of thin BaZrO3–BaCeO3-based proton-conducting electrolytes is being developed for easy fabrication of ceramic fuel cells and electrolyzers. However, cracks on the electrolytes caused by volume change due to chemical reactions between the basic ceramic constituents and the polar solvents during wet processing has been problematic. In order to address this issue, the use of chemically inert saturated-hydrocarbon-based slurries comprised of hexadecane, polybutene, and a long-chain saturated fatty acid were investigated in this work. By optimizing slurry composition and laser sintering conditions, a 20 mm long, 4 mm wide, 13.5-μm-thick and 97%-dense BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.07Sm0.13O3-d membrane showing proton conductivity on the order of 10−4 S•cm−1 at 600 °C was successfully prepared in just three seconds by laser sintering. The use of saturated-hydrocarbon-based slurries will facilitate wet processing and rapid laser sintering of proton-conducting ceramic electrolytes.