Pinhole-free ionic conductors are critical to achieve optimal performance in thin film-solid oxide fuel cells (TF-SOFCs). However, nanoscale defects, especially pinholes, can induce current leakage and contribute to cell failure by creating electrical short circuits. This study introduced a novel methodology for detecting pinholes in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin-film solid oxide electrolytes. The approach utilized selective adsorption of silver (Ag) nanoparticles generated via a spark discharge generator (SDG). Analytical techniques, including focused ion beam (FIB), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were employed to investigate interactions between Ag nanoparticles and nanoscale defects. Results showed that nanoparticle-based diagnostic methods were efficacious for defect characterization, offering a solution for enhancing the quality of thin-film electrolytes.

A pulsed-power source has the advantage of releasing a peak power over a short time interval. In this study, we implemented two types of such energy source, namely laser and dielectric break down power sources. We built the highpressure flow-output actuator utilizing such power sources in a micro-jet drug delivery system. We compared the jet speed from each power source and analyzed the drug penetration performance of the micro-jet injector. We found that hat the bubble growth rate caused by a dielectric breakdown power source per power input was three times faster than the laser power source. By using the micro-jet injector, we performed the insulin injection test using mouse models having diabetes mellitus to evaluate whether micro-jet injector has equivalent drug delivery performance when compared against conventional syringe-type injection.