Fabrication of wormhole-like YSZ and Ni-YSZ by the novel soft-hard template CTAB/NaCl-assisted route. Suppressing Ni coalescence in SOFC

Abstract

A novel one-pot synthesis route leading to the formation of a wormhole-like structure was developed for the successful fabrication of porous YSZ and Ni-YSZ systems. This method involved co-precipitation in the presence of the micelle-forming agents CTAB/Pluronic P123 and crystallising NaCl. The obtained skeletons were mechanically stable and presented almost 50% uniform, open porosity without using any additional pore-formers. The fabricated 0.3 M CTAB/NaCl Ni-YSZ showed better long-term electrical stability in hydrogen than a traditional Ni-YSZ cermet. It resulted from the suppression of Ni structural changes throughout the anode scaffold. Moreover, higher electrochemical activity of this novel anode is expected due to the smaller particle sizes of Ni/YSZ, high homogeneity, highly developed TPB, and better interfacial interaction between the Ni and YSZ. Therefore, the novel soft-hard templating method is recognised as a promising route for the fabrication of the YSZ or Ni-YSZ with a highly developed microstructure and improved stability.