Electrophoretic deposition of ceramic materials for fuel cell applications

La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.875Mg0.125O3-x (LSGM), La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF), yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and (Ce0.8Gd0.2)O1.9 (CGO) were electrophoretically deposited on Ni foils and Ni-yttria stabilized zirconia substrates prepared by tape casting. It was demonstrated that the ethyl alcohol–phosphate ester–polyvinyl butyral system is an effective solvent–dispersant–binder system for electrophoretic deposition of these materials. The influence of dispersant, binder and current density on deposition efficiency and deposit morphology was studied. The microstructure of the deposits was examined by electron microscopy. The proposed solvent–dispersant–binder medium for electrophoretic deposition of LSGM, LSCF, YSZ and CGO has important advantages and implications in fuel cell design.