Fabrication of porous ceramic electrode structures

The conventional cathode material in molten carbonate fuel cells, NiO, has a limited lifetime due to dissolution under cathodic conditions and precipitation as the metal under anodic conditions. Alternative ceramic materials, identified as stable in the cathode environment, have been made electronically conductive through doping. Techniques to fabricate dual-porosity electrodes from these alternative ceramic materials have been developed and are reported. Cell tests, using NiO cathodes, have ascertained the viability of the new techniques for obtaining the desired electrode structure; these data are also presented. 8 refs., 4 figs.