Novel CVD Techniques for Micro- and IT-SOFC Fabrication

At present, there are intensive research efforts towards intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) with a thin film electrolyte and electrode. In view of the nature of molecular level reaction and the great potential of CVD processes for IT-SOFCs and even Micro-SOFC fabrication, various novel CVD techniques have been developed to prepare multi-component oxide films and multi-layers related to the SOFC. In this paper, novel CVD techniques are described and reviewed for possible applications in thin film electrolytes and electrodes for SOFCs, mainly based on the research activities of the author's laboratory. The techniques include metal-organic CVD (MOCVD) with metal β-diketonate chelates as precursors, single mixed source MOCVD, and aerosol assisted CVD (AACVD). AACVD can be operated with spray AAMOCVD, plasma-AACVD, or oxy-acetylene combustion AACVD. The results show their possible application in the fabrication of electrolyte and electrode thin films for SOFCs.