Characterization of sol-gel derived Ni-modified Mn-Co spinel nanopowders for SOFC application

Compared to today’s fossil energy combustion technologies, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) produce less CO2, require less water consumption, and use less fuel while providing the same amount of electricity. The modification of Mn-Co spinel oxide (MCO) could be achieved by the addition of a reactive element for conductivity and bonding improvements of coated interconnects applied for SOFC. In this study, Nix(Mn, Co)3-xO4 (x=0, 0.2 and 0.4) compounds were synthesized via a pechini-type sol-gel process. The phase and microstructure of synthesized spinel nanopowders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with EDS, respectively. The resulting XRD spectra reveal that a pure phase with spinel structure was obtained for modified spinel nanopowders. The resulting XRD spectra reveal that a pure phase with spinel structure was obtained for modified spinel powders. The microstructural characteristics of MCO, Ni0.2MCO and Ni0.4MCO synthesized powders were made up of nanoparticles as large as 40-92, 20-40, and 30-45 nm in soft agglomerates, respectively.