Effect of Ni3Al Addition on the Grain Growth in Porous Ni/Ni3Al Anode Materials for Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

Grain growth of high-density material, such as metal, during sintering was generally retarded by the pinning effect of the second phase particles which were included between the matrix metal grains. Grain size of the high-density material was inversely proportional to the 0.31-1.0th order with respect to the volume fraction of the second phase particles, and the grain was maintained at a relatively smaller size than that sintered without the second phase particles. It was investigated that the nickel grain size in the porous Ni/Ni3Al anode material for MCFC sintered for 1 hr at 900°C was inversely proportional to the 0.7th order with respect to the volume fraction of the Ni3Al intermetallics, and that the pore network in the anode was more stable than that in the pure Ni anode material by controlling the subsequent sintering process.