Fabrication of reducing atmosphere electrodes (fuel electrodes) by electroless plating of copper on BaZr0.9−xCexY0.1O3−δ – A proton-conducting ceramic

Abstract Copper appears to be an interesting fuel electrode material for proton-conducting ceramic electrolytes (such as BaZr 0.9 − x Ce x Y 0.1 O 3 − δ ) because it is stable at high temperatures in reducing and hydrocarbon-containing atmospheres. However, when deposited using organometallic Cu pastes/inks, these electrodes suffer from poor performance due to delamination issues and coating thickness (10–20 μm). Alternatively, electroless plating (ELP) is a method of depositing metal films – without utilizing electric power – that can achieve much thinner coatings than with pastes. In this work ELP of Cu was shown to be an alternative to Cu pastes for electrode fabrication on the non-electrically conductive, proton-conducting ceramic BaZr 0.8 Ce 0.1 Y 0.1 O 3 − δ . Pd, Ru, and Cu were investigated as activation catalysts, on which Cu was then plated. All three were found to produce thin electrodes (∼1 μm) with good electrode/electrolyte adhesion. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence and x-ray diffraction were used to characterize the Cu-based ELP electrodes. Additionally, the ELP process was shown to be transferable to tubular substrates without significant modification to the procedure.