Modified nickel oxides as cathode materials for MCFC

The preparation and subsequent oxidation of nickel cathodes modified by imp regnation with cerium were evaluated by surface and bulk analysis. The ceri um impregnated cathodes showed the same pore size distribution curve types and the same morphology as the reference nickel cathode. The measured nicke l oxide dissolution rate in the molten carbonate mixture indicated that a m inimum corrosion was evident for cathodes with 0.3-1 wt.% cerium oxide cont ent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were em ployed in the cathode characterization. As can be seen by SEMI the corrosio n treatments produce marked modifications on the sample surfaces that appea r more prominent for the cerium-free sample. The results also show that the lithiation process is a very significant factor that can improve the effic iency of the cell, but needs to be controlled because it can also produce v ery damaging effects such as the modification of the cathode volume by the formation on new compounds. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser ved.