Tape casting, dense ceramic

Tape casting is a well known method for making thin, flat and dense ceramics [13-15]. This technique is limited by the thickness (a few millimetres) of the films obtained. The most important applications are in the electronics industry. Simon et al. [16] have described the preparation of flat ceramic membranes. This type of geometry is receiving interest because of the possibility of obtaining a high module compactness (compactness is defined by the ratio of membrane surface area to module volume). 

After an acceptable powder has been produced, it must be formed into the desired shape and sintered into a useful, dense ceramic. To date, our approach has been to use typical ceramic fabrication techniques such as dry pressing, tape casting, and extrusion. 

The fabrication processes selected for each planar SOFC cell/stack design depend on the configuration of the cells in the stack. The key step in any selected process is the fabrication of dense electrolytes. In general, ceramic fabrication processes for planar SOFCs can be classified into two groups, based on the fabrication approach for the electrolyte the particulate approach and the deposition approach. The particulate approach involves compaction of ceramic powder into cell components and densification at elevated temperatures. Examples of the particulate approach are tape casting and tape calendering. The deposition approach involves formation of cell components on a support by a chemical or physical process. Examples of the deposition approach are chemical vapour deposition, plasma spraying, and spray pyrolysis. 

---