Tape casting, solid electrolytes

The tape-casting method makes possible the fabrication of films in the region of several hundred micrometers thick. The mechanical strength allows the use of such a solid electrolyte as the structural element for devices such as the high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell in which zirconia-based solid electrolytes are employed both as electrolyte and as mechanical separator of the electrodes. 

The main component of a solid oxide fuel cell is a three-layered sandwich consisting of anode, electrolyte, and cathode, each being made from a different oxide ceramic material. Such ceramic structures can be fabricated by various methods including slip or tape casting, injection molding, ceramic coverings, etc. [1]. Whatever the method applied is, it should provide the best able microstructure and specified performance of materials besides the desired shape of a SOFC membrane. However, layers of the membrane have different properties that requires combination of two or more different methods of ceramic engineering in the component fabrication. 

Many different types of sensors have also been fabricated by tape casting. One of the most widely used sensors is the oxygen sensor used in automotive and other applications. These sensors are based upon solid-state conductivity of the ceramic elements at elevated temperatures. Most are fabricated from stabilized zirconia, which is the electrolyte in the device. The zirconia is a solid ionic conductor that transforms oxygen partial pressure or activity gradients into an electrical signal, which can then be further processed to perform control activities such as carburation or ignition modification. The... 

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