Electrolyte Forming Process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016233535-A1
Application number	US-201514672315-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A process for forming an electrolyte for a metal-supported solid-oxide fuel cell, the process comprising:
a. combining a doped-ceria powder with a sintering aid and solvent to form a slurry;

b. applying the slurry to an anode layer;

c. drying to form a green electrolyte; and

d. firing the green electrolyte to form a sintered electrolyte;

wherein the slurry in step b. comprises doped-ceria powder with a physical property selected from bimodal particle size distribution, a BET surface area in the range 15-40 m 2 /g, a spherical morphology, or combinations thereof together with an electrolyte obtained by the process, a fuel cell and fuel cell stack, comprising the electrolyte, and the use of the fuel in the generation of electrical energy.

First claim

1 . A process for forming an electrolyte for a metal-supported solid-oxide fuel cell, the process comprising:
a. combining a doped-ceria powder with a sintering aid and solvent to form a slurry; b. applying the slurry to an anode layer, wherein the slurry comprises doped-ceria powder with a physical property selected from bimodal particle size distribution, a BET surface area in the range 15-40 m 2 /g, a spherical morphology, or combinations thereof; c. drying to form a green electrolyte; and d. firing the green electrolyte to form a sintered electrolyte.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , further comprising: attrition milling the slurry prior to application to the anode layer.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the bimodal particle size distribution comprises particles forming a peak in the range 0.1-0.4 μm and a peak in the range 0.5-1.5 μm.

4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the sintering aid is present in the range 0.5-5% total cations.

5 . The process according to claim 1 , further comprising: forming the green electrolyte from a screen-printable ink.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the green electrolyte comprises multiple layers of electrolyte formed by applying the slurry in layers over the anode layer, with drying between the application of each layer.

7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the anode layer is a sintered anode layer.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the anode layer is a green anode layer and the green anode layer and green electrolyte are sintered in a single firing step.

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte covers the anode layer and the metal support.

10 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein firing the green electrolyte to form a sintered electrolyte is performed at a sintering temperature that is less than 1100° C.

11 . The process according to claim 1 , firing the green electrolyte to form a sintered electrolyte is performed in air.

12 . The process according to claim 1 , further comprising: pressing after application of the slurry to the anode layer, but prior to firing of the green electrolyte.

13 . A process for forming a fuel cell, comprising:
forming an electrolyte on a metal-supported anode layer using the process of claim 1 , and applying a cathode material to the electrolyte.

14 . A fuel cell comprising an electrolyte obtained by the process according to claim 1 .

15 . A fuel cell stack comprising at least two fuel cells according to claim 14 .

Assignees

• Ceres Ip Co Ltd

Inventors

• Leah Robert
• Bone Adam
• Matthews Carl
• Lankin Mike
• Rahman Mahfujur

Classifications

• H01M8/126 Primary

  the electrolyte containing cerium oxide · CPC title

• H01M8/24

  Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• C04B35/63

  using additives specially adapted for forming the products {, e.g.. binder binders} · CPC title

• C04B35/50

  based on rare-earth compounds {(non-oxide rare earth compounds C04B35/5156)} · CPC title