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Doped cerium oxide for molten carbonate fuel cell cathodes

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6558418
; ;  [1]
  1. Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (USA)

Donor-doped Ce0{sub 2} was studied as a cathode material for the molten carbonate fuel cell. The electrical conductivity of Nb-doped Ce0{sub 2} was measured as a function of dopant level (0.80-1.3 cat%), temperature (600--900{degree}C), and partial pressure of oxygen (10{sup {minus}12} {minus}1 atm). The conductivity of Ta- and W-doped cerium oxide was also measured in air from 600 to 900{degree}C. The corrosion resistance of pure and Nb-doped Ce0{sub 2} in molten carbonate was studied as a function of atmosphere and material preparation procedure, and characterized using electron microscopy and solubility measurements. Nb-doped Ce0{sub 2} showed excellent corrosion resistance to molten carbonate, when silicate grain boundary phases were eliminated. The electrical conductivity is near the target value of 0.1 {Omega}{sup {minus}1}cm{sup {minus}1} at 650{degree}C and <10{sup {minus}1} atm oxygen pressure. For pO{sub 2}{ge} 0.2 atm, CeNb0{sub 4} precipitation sharply reduces the electrical conductivity. Preliminary in-cell testing of tape cast Ce0{sub 2}/Nb electrodes showed no evidence of corrosion. Electrical losses, however, were higher than for lithiated nickel oxide (Ni0/Li). Replacing Nb with W or Ta resulted in substantially higher electrical losses and greater corrosion resistance than Ni0/Li. 42 refs., 19 figs., 1 tab.

Research Organization:
Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA); Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
EPRI
OSTI ID:
6558418
Report Number(s):
EPRI-ER-6983
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English