LiCoO2-coated NiO cathode for MCFC

Abstract

Layers of LiCoO2 were formed on the internal surface of a porous NiO cathode to reduce the rate of NiO dissolution into the molten carbonate. Either a sol-impregnation or a solution-impregnation technique was applied to deposit LiCoO2 precursors on the cathode. In-situ! treatment of the cathode coated with precursors above 500 degrees C resulted in the formation of LiCoO2 layer on the cathode. A number of bench-scale single cells were fabricated with LiCoO2-coated NiO cathodes and the cell performance was examined for 1,000 hours. With increasing the LiCoO2 content in the cathode up to 8 mol%, the initial performance of the cell decreased. but the cell performance was gradually improved during the cell test. The amount Ni precipitated in the matrix was significantly reduced by LiCoO2 coating. LiCoO2 coating by the solution-impregnation technique seemed to be more effective in reducing the amount of Ni precipitation. The results obtained in this study strongly suggest that LiCoO2 layers formed on the internal surface of the porous NiO cathode effectively suppress the rate of NiO dissolution for 1,000 hours.