Porous NiO-SDC Carbonates Composite Anode for LT-SOFC Applications Produced by Pressureless Sintering
Composite anodes made of NiO and SDC-(Li/Na)2CO3 were investigated in relation to their structure, morphology, and porosity. As a first step, the anode powder was prepared by mixing the NiO with SDC-(Li/Na)2CO3 via solid state reaction in weight percentage of 60 : 40 wt% and in various compositions of carbonates (20 and 30wt%), namely NiO-SDC8020 and NiO-SDC7030, respectively. The powder mixtures were then calcined at 680oC. The resultant powder was fine with surface area of about 13.10-13.70 m2/g and an average particle size of 0.32-0.37µm. The powders consist of two phases i.e. the cubic NiO and face-centered cubic structure SDC-(Li/Na)2CO3 as confirmed with x-ray diffraction. The microstructures were observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The anode pellets were later compacted at different pressures (27, 32 and 37 MPa) and sintered at 600oC. The optimum porosity (20.99-24.78%) was achieved for samples of NiO-SDC8020 and NiO-SDC7030 sintered at 600oC and cold pressed at 32 and 37 MPa.