Investigation of porous metallic substrates for plasma sprayed thin-film SOFCs

Abstract

In a novel auxiliary power unit (APU) stack concept for on-board electricity generation in vehicles and aircraft, a porous metallic substrate for cell support is used. In the plasma sprayed DLR SOFC concept, the substrate has to fulfil a variety of required properties. A combination of all these requirements in an integral substrate structure has turned out to be a key problem in this novel design. Therefore, together with some partners a substrate development process has been established. This paper focuses on different substrates developed at DLR and on the investigation methods that are used for it. Furthermore, it shows some results of gas permeability and leakage tests and of electrical and electrochemical characterisations under SOFC-relevant conditions that were carried out by means of the four-point measurement technique.