Study of NiO cathode modified by ZnO additive for MCFC

The preparation and subsequent oxidation of nickel cathodes modified by impregnation with zinc oxide (ZnO) were evaluated by surface and bulk analysis. The electrochemical behaviors of ZnO impregnated NiO cathodes was also evaluated in a molten 62 mol% Li2CO3 + 38 mol% K2CO3 eutectic at 650 °C by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) as a function of ZnO content and immersion time. The ZnO impregnated nickel cathodes showed the similar porosity, pore size distribution and morphology to the reference nickel cathode. The stability tests of ZnO impregnated NiO cathodes showed that the ZnO additive could dramatically reduce the solubility of NiO in a eutectic carbonate mixture under the standard cathode gas condition. The impedance spectra for cathode materials show important variations during the 100 h of immersion. The incorporation of lithium in its structure and the low dissolution of nickel oxide and zinc oxide are responsible of these changes. After that, the structure reaches a stable state. The cathode material having 2 mol% of ZnO showed a very low dissolution and a good catalytic efficiency close to the NiO value. We thought that 2 mol% ZnO/NiO materials would be able to adapt as alternative cathode materials for MCFCs.