Preparation of Ni/YSZ materials for SOFC anodes by buffer-solution method

NiO/YSZ composites were fabricated using mixed nickel oxideyttria stabilized zirconia powders (NiO/YSZ) with different Ni contents prepared by an improved co-precipitation technique, named the buffer-solution method. The composites were then exposed in a reducing gas mixture of CO and CO2 to form Ni/YSZ cermets which may be used as anode materials in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The conductivities of the resultant cermets were measured over the temperature range from 800 to 1200 °C and were found to be always much higher than those of samples with the same Ni contents but prepared by the traditional mechanical mixing method. This may be owing to the fact that the buffer-solution method can assure more homogeneous distribution of Ni in YSZ matrix.