Stable electrolyte matrix for molten carbonate fuel cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020358111-A1
Application number	US-202016938281-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 24, 2020
Priority date	Nov 4, 2016
Publication date	Nov 12, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of making an electrolyte matrix includes: preparing a slurry comprising a support material, a coarsening inhibitor, an electrolyte material, and a solvent; and drying the slurry to form an electrolyte matrix. The support material comprises lithium aluminate, the coarsening inhibitor comprises a material selected from the group consisting of MnO2, Mn2O3, TiO2, ZrO2, Fe2O3, LiFe2O3, and mixtures thereof, and the coarsening inhibitor has a particle size of about 0.005 μm to about 0.5 μm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of making an electrolyte matrix comprising:
preparing a slurry comprising a support material, a coarsening inhibitor, an electrolyte material, and a solvent; and drying the slurry to form an electrolyte matrix, wherein the support material comprises lithium aluminate, the coarsening inhibitor comprises a material selected from the group consisting of MnO 2 , Mn 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , LiFe 2 O 3 , and mixtures thereof, and the coarsening inhibitor has a particle size of about 0.005 μm to about 0.5 μm.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein preparing the slurry comprises an attrition milling process that reduces the size of the materials in the slurry.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising tape casting the slurry before drying the slurry.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding a binder, a plasticizer, a reinforcing material, or a combination thereof to the slurry.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the coarsening inhibitor is present in an amount of about 0.1 vol. % to about 40 vol. % of dry components of the slurry.

6 . A method of making an electrolyte matrix comprising:
forming a mixture of an aluminum containing precursor, a lithium containing precursor, and a dopant precursor; drying the mixture to form a powder; heat treating the powder at a temperature of about 550° C. to about 800° C. for a period of about 6 hours to about 30 hours to form a lithium aluminate including a dopant; preparing a slurry comprising the lithium aluminate including a dopant, an electrolyte material, and a solvent; and drying the slurry to form an electrolyte matrix, wherein the dopant precursor is in oxide or salt form, and the dopant comprises a material selected from the group consisting of MnO 2 , Mn 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , LiFe 2 O 3 , and mixtures thereof.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the dopant precursor comprises MnO 2 , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the aluminum precursor comprises Al 2 O 3 .

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the lithium precursor comprises lithium carbonate.

10 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising tape casting the slurry before drying the slurry.

11 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising adding a binder, a plasticizer, a reinforcing material, or a combination thereof to the slurry.

12 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the lithium aluminate including a dopant comprises the dopant in an amount of about 0.1 mol. % to about 15 mol. %.

Assignees

• Fuelcell Energy Inc

Inventors

• Hilmi Abdelkader
• Surendranath Arun
• Yuh Chao-Yi
• Farooque Mohammad

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M8/0295 Primary

  Matrices for immobilising electrolyte melts · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M2300/0091

  in the form of mixtures · CPC title

• H01M2300/0051

  Carbonates · CPC title