Reduction in the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells - Potential use in transport applications

The development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) offers new perspectives, i n particular as auxiliary power units for vehicle applications. The elabora tion of thin electrolyte layers is the main challenge in order to reduce th eir operating temperature. A brief review of the deposition techniques and of the potential electrolytes is presented. A relatively new technique, Ato mic Layer Deposition (ALD), allows to produce thin, dense and homogeneous l ayers, i.e. zirconia or zirconia-based thin layers can be deposited on diff erent substrates. The interest of elaborating bi- or multilayer electrolyte s is outlined.