Pre-coating of LSCM perovskite with metal catalyst for scalable high performance anodes

In this work, a highly scalable technique is proposed as an alternative to the lab-scale impregnation method. LSCM–CGO powders were pre-coated with 5 wt% of Ni from nitrates. After appropriate mixing and adequate heat treatment, coated powders were then dispersed into organic based vehicles to form a screen-printable ink which was deposited and fired to form SOFC anode layers. Electrochemical tests show a considerable enhancement of the pre-coated anode performances under 50 ml/min wet H2 flow with polarization resistance decreased from about 0.60 Ω cm2 to 0.38 Ω cm2 at 900 °C and from 6.70 Ω cm2 to 1.37 Ω cm2 at 700 °C. This is most likely due to the pre-coating process resulting in nano-scaled Ni particles with two typical sizes; from 50 to 200 nm and from 10 to 40 nm. Converging indications suggest that the latter type of particle comes from solid state solution of Ni in LSCM phase under oxidizing conditions and exsolution as nanoparticles under reducing atmospheres.