Films of 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) were prepared by spray pyrolysis, which can be used as electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells. The spray pyrolysis technique has advantages such as simple handling, low cost of operation, versatile and effective in getting ceramic films. However, the major disadvantages are several parameters that can affect quality and reproducibility of the deposited films. Therefore, in order to establish the influence of the deposition parameters on the morphology of the films, the technique of factorial design of experiments was used with the determination of three parameters: deposition temperature (T), solution flow (F) and deposition time (t). The morphology of the films was analyzed by optical microscopy with 400x magnification in bright and dark fields, considering the effect of cracks, pores, salt particles and roughness. For the statistical analysis the ImageJ software was used, which allows the quantification of the influence of deposition parameters in the morphology. The parameters modeling was carried out, obtaining as results what the best film would be prepared at 320 ºC, 32 min deposition time and flow of 1.4 mL/min. The deposited film with the modeled parameters was heated at 1000 ºC for 300 min. The structure of the film was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, showing polycrystalline with fcc fluorite type structure, with preferential orientation of grains in the (111) direction. The morphological properties of the films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, indicating that the film is homogeneous and free of microcracks and micropores.
MESP; spray pyrolysis; SOFC; YSZ
