Electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cells with ultra-thin honeycomb structure prepared by digital light processing 3D printing technology

A significant challenge in electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) pertains to the substantial thickness of the electrolyte, resulting in elevated operational temperatures that hinder commercial viability. In this research, we utilized digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology to fabricate ultra-thin honeycomb electrolyte-supported SOFCs and subsequently evaluated their performance. Through the use of ultraviolet absorbers, we achieved a shallow curing depth (60.3 μm), which facilitated the creation of ultra-thin electrolyte samples. We investigated the mechanical properties of electrolytes with various honeycomb structures, finding that the square honeycomb structure exhibited the highest mechanical integrity, with an average failure load of 1.01 N. Finally, we assessed the electrochemical performance, observing a substantial power density of 215.4 mW/cm2, representing a twofold increase compared to the 114 mW/cm2 achieved by the same method in a flat primary cell.