Sintering anode fabrication

In addition to the use of composite anodes and cathodes, another commonly used approach to increase the total reaction surface area in SOFC electrodes is to manipulate the particle size distribution of the feedstock materials used to produce the electrodes to create a finer structure in the resulting electrode after consolidation. Various powder production and processing methods have been examined to manipulate the feedstock particle size distribution for the fabrication of SOFCs and their effects on fuel cell performance have also been studied. The effects of other process parameters, such as sintering temperature, on the final microstructural size features in the electrodes have also been examined extensively. 

Another important point regarding the fabrication process of MPLs is the fact that, typically, when carbon fiber paper is used as the DL, the MPL is coated just on one surface of the CLP. However, when a carbon cloth is used, a homogeneous water suspension of carbon powder and PTFE is filtered under vacuum onto both faces of the carbon cloth material to form the MPLs [153,158,161,171], followed by drying and sintering as mentioned earlier. Antolini et al. [161] were able to demonstrate that carbon cloth with double MPLs, for both the anode and the cathode sides, showed better performance than when a CFP was used as the cathode DL with one MPL. At low current densities, the difference between the two DLs was not as obvious, but it became more evident at higher current densities because the limiting current densities for each case are quite different ( 1.6 A cm for CFP vs. 2.7 A cm for CC) (see Figure 4.20 for more details). 

The fabrication of the long ( 1.5 m) tubular structure starts with the cathode which is extruded ( 20 mm dia. and 2mm wall thickness) with additions to the lanthanum manganate powder of organics (e.g. starch and cellulose see Section 3.9) in order to develop the necessary porosity. The tube is sintered in air at 1500 °C. The structure must be chemically stable with respect to the subsequent processing of the electrolyte, anode and interconnect layers and have compatible thermal expansivity. It must, of course, have adequate strength to be self-supporting and also to support the electrolyte and cathode. 

Ni-state-of-the-art anodes contain Cr to eliminate the problem of sintering. However, Ni-Cr anodes are susceptible to creep, while Cr can be lithiated by the electrolyte and consumes carbonate, leading to efforts to decrease Cr. State-of-the-art cathodes are made of lithiated-NiO. Dissolution of the cathode is probably the primary life-limiting constraint of MCFCs, particularly under pressurised operation. The present bipolar plate consists of the separator, the current collectors, and the seal. The bipolar plates are usually fabricated from thin sheets of a stainless steel alloy coated on one side by a Ni layer, which is stable in the reducing environment of the anode. On the cathode side, contact electrical resistance increases as an oxide layer builds up (US DOE, 2002 Larminie et al., 2003 Yuh et al., 2002). 

The MF membranes are usually made from natural or synthetic polymers such as cellulose acetate (CA), polyvinylidene difiuoride, polyamides, polysulfone, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and polytetrafiuoroethylene (FIFE) (13). Some of the newer MF membranes are ceramic membranes based on alumina, membranes formed during the anodizing of aluminium, and carbon membrane. Glass is being used as a membrane material. Zirconium oxide can also be deposited onto a porous carbon tube. Sintered metal membranes are fabricated from stainless steel, silver, gold, platinum, and nickel, in disks and tubes. The properties of membrane materials are directly reflected in their end applications. Some criteria for their selection are mechanical strength, temperature resistance, chemical compatibility, hydrophobility, hydrophilicity, permeability, permselectivity and the cost of membrane material as well as manufacturing process. 

The electrodes are flat. The anode is composed of porous sintered nickel along with additives, which inhibit the loss of surface area during operation. The anode is in direct contact with the electrolyte matrix. The cathode is a porous nickel oxide, which is initially fabricated in the form of a porous sintered nickel and is subsequently oxidized during the cell operation. 

Experimental process optimization by selecting the best CIP pressure, anode sintering temperature, and pore-forming agent content has enabled to fabricate prototypes of two-layered (anode/electrolyte) and three-layered (anode/electrolyte/cathode) membranes, see Fig. 2. 

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