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 electrochemical 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 micro-crack 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.