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Correlation between triple phase boundary and the microstructure of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes: The role of composition, porosity and Ni densification

Lu, X; Heenan, TMM; Bailey, JJ; Li, T; Li, K; Brett, DJL; Shearing, PR; (2017) Correlation between triple phase boundary and the microstructure of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes: The role of composition, porosity and Ni densification. Journal of Power Sources , 365 pp. 210-219. 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.08.095. Green open access

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Abstract

© 2017 This study aims to correlate the active triple phase boundaries (TPBs) to the variation of as-prepared anode microstructures and Ni densifications based on the reconstructed 3D volume of an SOFC anode, providing a point of comparison with theoretical studies that reveal the relationship of TPBs and the material microstructure using randomly packed spheres models. The TPB degradation mechanisms are explained using a particle network model. The results indicate that in low porosity regime, the TPBs sharply increase with the porosity until the percolation threshold (10%); at intermediate porosity (10%–25%), a balance of surface area between three phases is more critical than that of volume fraction to reach the optimal TPB density; in the high porosity regime ( > 25%), the TPBs start to drop due to the shrinkage and detachment of Ni/YSZ interfaces. The TPB density is inversely proportional to the degree of Ni densification as long as the Ni content is above the percolation threshold (35%) and can be improved by 70% within 7% change of porosity provided that the over-densification is mitigated. This has implications for the design of SOFC microstructures as well for electrode durability, where Ni agglomeration is known to deleteriously impact long-term operation.

Type: Article
Title: Correlation between triple phase boundary and the microstructure of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell anodes: The role of composition, porosity and Ni densification
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.08.095
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.08.095
Language: English
Additional information: © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: X-ray tomography, Ni sintering, Electrode composition, Porosity, TPB degradation, Particle network
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Electronic and Electrical Eng
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10022755
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