Effect of sintering procedures in development of LiCoO2-cathodes for the molten carbonate fuel cell

LiCoO2-powder was synthesized from carbonate precursors by calcination in a ir. Greentapes were tape-cast using a non-aqueous slurry and 10 mu m plasti c spheres as pore formers. Sintering was carried out in air at 850-950 degr ees C and in argon/air at 500/750 degrees C, The two sintering procedures l ed to very different sub-micron morphologies, with the primary particles be ing much smaller in the latter case. The electrochemical performance at 650 degrees C, in terms of overpotential at 160 mA/cm(2), for the air- and arg on/air-sintered electrodes was 57 and 81 mV, respectively. The potential dr op due to contact resistance between electrode and current collector was es timated to be 100 and 70 mV, respectively. The electrode materials were cha racterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Hg-porosimetry, the BET-m ethod (N-2-adsorption), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS), carbon analysis and a van der Pauw conductivity meas urement set-up. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.