Process for producing a component constituting an interconnector of an HTE electrolyser or of an SOFC fuel cell
View Patent ↗A process for preparing a component, which may constitute an interconnector for a fuel cell (SOFC) or a high-temperature electrolyser (HTE), may include: (a) preparing a substrate made of metal alloy, the base element of which is iron (Fe) or nickel (Ni), the substrate having two main flat faces; (b) tape casting a thick ceramic layer; (c) localized removal at one or more locations, of material of the tape-cast thick ceramic layer; (d) hot pressing the green thick ceramic layer tape; and (e) grooving the thick ceramic layer so as to delimit channels that are suitable for distributing and/or collecting gases. A component may be obtained from such a process.
1. A process for preparing a component, the process comprising:
preparing a substrate made of metal alloy of chromia-forming type, a base element of which being iron or nickel, the substrate having two main flat faces;
tape casting a thick ceramic layer, thereby producing a tape-cast thick ceramic layer;
locally removing at one or more locations of material of the tape-cast thick ceramic layer;
hot pressing a green thick ceramic layer tape; and
grooving the thick ceramic layer so as to delimit channels that are suitable for distributing and/or collecting gases,
wherein the locally removing is carried out before the hot pressing.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the locally removing is carried out by laser ablation.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the locally removing is carried out by a CO 2 laser.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein removed material zones forms holes, and
wherein each hole has a surface area in a range of 10 −9 to 10 mm 2 .
5. The process of claim 1 , wherein removed material zones are uniformly distributed on a surface of the thick ceramic layer.
6. The process of claim 1 , wherein removed material zones each have a cylinder shape opening onto the substrate made of the metal alloy.
7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the grooving is carried out by laser ablation before carrying out the hot-pressing.
8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hot pressing is carried out at a temperature in a range of from 60 to 130° C.
9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hot pressing is carried out for less than 2 h.
10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the material of the thick ceramic layer is
a lanthanum manganite of formula La 1−x Sr x MO 3 with M comprising Ni, Fe, Co, Mn, and/or Cr,
a lamellar structure material, or
another electrically conductive perovskite oxide.
11. The process of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the thick ceramic layer is in a range of from 30 to 800 μm.
12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the lamellar structure material is present and comprises a lanthanide nickelate of formula Ln 2 NiO 4 , with Ln being La, Nd, and/or Pr.
13. A method of making a fuel cell, the method comprising:
carrying out the method of claim 1 to form the component; and
forming the fuel cell using the component as an interconnector.
14. A method of making a high-temperature electrolyzer, the method comprising:
carrying out the method of claim 1 to form the component; and
forming the high-temperature electrolyzer using the component as an interconnector.
15. The process of claim 1 , wherein removed material zones forms holes,
wherein each hole has a surface area in a range of from 10 −9 to 10 mm 2 , and
wherein the holes are present in a range of from 0.01 to 1000 per cm.
16. A process for preparing a component, the process comprising:
preparing a substrate made of metal alloy of chromia-forming type, a base element of which being iron or nickel, the substrate having two main flat faces;
tape casting a thick ceramic layer, thereby producing a tape-cast thick ceramic layer;
locally removing at one or more locations of material of the tape-cast thick ceramic layer;
hot pressing a green thick ceramic layer tape; and
grooving the thick ceramic layer so as to delimit channels that are suitable for distributing and/or collecting gases,
wherein removed material zones forms holes, and
wherein each hole has a surface area in a range of 10 −9 to 10 mm 2 .
17. The process of claim 16 , wherein the locally removing is carried out by laser ablation.
18. The process of claim 16 , wherein the locally removing is carried out by a CO 2 laser.
19. The process of claim 16 , wherein the removed material zones are uniformly distributed on a surface of the thick ceramic layer.
20. The process of claim 16 , wherein the removed material zones each have a cylinder shape opening onto the substrate made of the metal alloy.