High performance cermet electrodes
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsArnold O. Isenberg, Gregory E. Zymboly
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method of increasing the operating cell voltage of a solid oxide electrochemical cell having metal electrode particles in contact with an oxygen-transporting ceramic electrolyte. The metal electrode is heated with the cell, and oxygen is passed through the oxygen-transporting ceramic electrolyte to the surface of the metal electrode particles so that the metal electrode particles are oxidized to form a metal oxide layer between the metal electrode particles and the electrolyte. The metal oxide layer is then reduced to form porous metal between the metal electrode particles and the ceramic electrolyte.
Claims14
A method of increasing the cell voltage of an electrochemical cell having a porous metal electrode in contact with a oxygen-transporting vapor deposited ceramic electrolyte comprising
- (A) heating said metal electrode particles to at least their oxidation temperature;
- (B) passing oxygen through said oxygen-transporting ceramic electrolyte to the surface of said metal electrode particles, whereby a portion of said metal electrode particles are oxidized, forming a metal oxide layer between said metal electrode particles and said electrolyte;
- and
- (C) reducing said metal oxide layer to said metal.
In an electrochemical cell having a powdered metal electrode bonded to an oxygen ion conducting ceramic electrolyte by means of an oxygen ion conducting ceramic coating which forms part of said electrolyte, an improved method of increasing the voltage of said cell comprising
- (A) heating said cell to a temperature at which said metal electrode oxidizes;
- (B) diffusing oxygen ions through said electrolyte to said metal electrode that is in contact therewith, until about 1 to about 100 atom % of said metal electrode in contact with said electrolyte is oxidized, to form a metal oxide layer between said metal electrode and said electrolyte;
- and
- (C) exposing said metal oxide layer to gaseous fuel while heating said fuel cell to a temperature at which said fuel reduces said metal oxide completely to said metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.