Fabrication of Ni-Al-Cr alloy anode for molten carbonate fuel cells

Ni-(3,5) wt.% Al-(3-10) wt.% Cr alloys suitable for use as an anode material for molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) were prepared by a solid-gas-solid diffusion method. The creep resistances and sintering resistances of the prepared Ni-Al-Cr alloy samples evaluated in the creep test system were significantly improved with increasing Al and Cr concentration. The Ni-5 wt.% Al-10 wt.% Cr alloy showed the best creep resistance with a creep strain of 1.7% among as-prepared samples. To determine the electro-chemical performance of the Ni-Al-Cr alloy anode, a single cell test was carried out. The cell performances of all the Ni-Al-Cr alloy anodes were above 0.8 V at 150 mA cm(-2) for 1000 h of operation. It was also verified that the addition of Cr to Ni-Al enhances the ductility of the alloy and thus reduces microcrack formation in the Ni-Al-Cr anode during cell operation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Ni-Al-Cr alloy anode is a good candidate anode material for MCFCs. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.