Reactive sputtered Ni-SDC cermet alloy anode for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell

The facile deposition process for multi-component films is crucial in the development of thin film low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). Here, we report on the development and optimization of reactive sputtered Ni-SDC(Ni-Sm:CeO2) films for LT-SOFC anodes. The effects of oxygen partial pressure (PO2/PAr of 0 %–50 % at the sputter pressure of 30 mTorr) and deposition temperature on the physical, chemical and electrochemical properties of Ni-SDC films are studied. While the Ni-SDC anodes deposited at high PO2/PAr (>20 %) exhibited higher initial performance, they suffered from crack formation and massive Ni agglomeration upon operation due to NiO-to-Ni reduction and severe volume change. We further show that increasing the deposition temperature to 500 ℃ was effective in suppressing such Ni agglomeration and preserving the performance during operation.