Coarse-grained physics-based modelling for tape casting of fuel-electrode supports in Solid Oxide Cells

Optimising the tape casting process for fabricating NiO/YSZ cermet-based fuel-electrode supports in Solid Oxide Cells remains a resource-intensive challenge. Improving the green tape properties are often reliant on trial-and-error procedures or proprietary knowledge that is inaccessible to the broader scientific community. In this work, we use computational simulations as a powerful tool to link the manufacturing process to the final microstructure of the tape. A novel three-dimensional physics-based model is presented to simulate the slip preparation and the homogeneous drying process of the tape casting producing the fuel electrode support in Solid Oxide Cells. Our model is well-calibrated to experimental data, and we investigate the dried microstructure of the simulated support. • Discrete Element Method for the fuel-electrode substrate manufacturing. • Fitted and validated force fields for the solvent-based slurry of the substrate. • First model to link manufacturing process to physical properties of the green tape. • Simulated green tape microstructure of the fuel-electrode substrate. • Cross-sectional views of the calculated green tape are extracted from the DEM model.