A Study of the Rheological Properties of NiO/ScSZ Screen-Printing Inks and Their Application to SOFC Anodes

A series of rheological tests including steady state, oscillatory amplitude stress sweep and creep-recovery tests were performed using inks having 0-5 wt% binder. The steady state test revealed that the thixotropic behaviour of inks increased with increasing binder content. Oscillation test exhibited improved network strength in the inks having higher binder content. Moreover, creep-recovery test demonstrated the percentage of ink recovery of 64 - 68% for inks having 3-5 wt% binder, indicating that inks with 3 wt% binder were optimum in this study. Also, improved electrical and electrochemical properties were shown by anodes fabricated using inks with 3 wt% binder than that of 1 and 2 wt% binder due to increased network strength as confirmed by the oscillation and creep-recovery tests. In conclusion, from the point of both ink rheology and performance, ink with 3 wt% binder was determined to be optimum in this study.