Abstract: By synthesizing reactive powders via a self-sustaining combustion synthesis, the EDTA-nitrate process, Sm_0.15Gd_0.05Ce_0.8O_1.9 was prepared. The resultant powders were dispersed with the terpineol as the dispersant by different methods such as ball milling and high-shear dispersing. Coagulation factor (CF) was adopted to denote the agglomeration degree of nano-scale SGDC in this work. The effect of agglomeration on the densification behaviors at different sintering temperatures was investigated. The studies indicate that agglomeration retards densification in the stage of sintering. The powders with better dispersion exhibit a higher sintered density at the same temperature. After effective dispersion measures taken, SGDC can fully densified at the sintering temperature of 1300℃. The densification temperature is significantly lower than those reported previously.

Key words: SOFC, Sm_0.15Gd_0.05Ce_0.8O_1.9, agglomeration, densification