Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
This paper investigates the application of non-calcined metal tartrate as a novel alternative pore former to prepare functional ceramic composites to fabricate solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Compared to carbonaceous pore formers, non-calcined pore formers offer high compatibility with various ceram...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Mehdi Choolaei Mohsen Fallah Vostakola Bahman Amini Horri |
| author_facet | Mehdi Choolaei Mohsen Fallah Vostakola Bahman Amini Horri |
| author_sort | Mehdi Choolaei |
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| description | This paper investigates the application of non-calcined metal tartrate as a novel alternative pore former to prepare functional ceramic composites to fabricate solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Compared to carbonaceous pore formers, non-calcined pore formers offer high compatibility with various ceramic composites, providing better control over porosity and pore size distribution, which allows for enhanced gas diffusion, reactant transport and gaseous product release within the fuel cells’ functional layers. In this work, nanocrystalline gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) and Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate anode powders were prepared using a single-step co-precipitation synthesis method, based on the carboxylate route, utilising ammonium tartrate as a low-cost, environmentally friendly precipitant. The non-calcined Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate was used to fabricate dense GDC electrolyte pellets (5–20 μm thick) integrated with a thin film of Ni-GDC anode with controlled porosity at 1300 °C. The dilatometry analysis showed the shrinkage anisotropy factor for the anode substrates prepared using 20 wt. The percentages of Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate were 30 wt.% and 40 wt.%, with values of 0.98 and 1.01, respectively, showing a significant improvement in microstructural properties and pore size compared to those fabricated using a carbonaceous pore former. The results showed that the non-calcined pore formers can also lower the sintering temperature for GDC to below 1300 °C, saving energy and reducing thermal stresses on the materials. They can also help maintain optimal material properties during sintering, minimising the risk of unwanted chemical reactions or contamination. This flexibility enables the versatile designing and manufacturing of ceramic fuel cells with tailored compositions at a lower cost for large-scale applications. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-5d1e1bce39694423b8063cf91195f8d92025-08-20T02:45:38ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522025-07-0115763610.3390/cryst15070636Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel CellsMehdi Choolaei0Mohsen Fallah Vostakola1Bahman Amini Horri2School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UKSchool of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran 16846-13114, IranSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UKThis paper investigates the application of non-calcined metal tartrate as a novel alternative pore former to prepare functional ceramic composites to fabricate solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Compared to carbonaceous pore formers, non-calcined pore formers offer high compatibility with various ceramic composites, providing better control over porosity and pore size distribution, which allows for enhanced gas diffusion, reactant transport and gaseous product release within the fuel cells’ functional layers. In this work, nanocrystalline gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) and Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate anode powders were prepared using a single-step co-precipitation synthesis method, based on the carboxylate route, utilising ammonium tartrate as a low-cost, environmentally friendly precipitant. The non-calcined Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate was used to fabricate dense GDC electrolyte pellets (5–20 μm thick) integrated with a thin film of Ni-GDC anode with controlled porosity at 1300 °C. The dilatometry analysis showed the shrinkage anisotropy factor for the anode substrates prepared using 20 wt. The percentages of Ni-Gd-Ce-tartrate were 30 wt.% and 40 wt.%, with values of 0.98 and 1.01, respectively, showing a significant improvement in microstructural properties and pore size compared to those fabricated using a carbonaceous pore former. The results showed that the non-calcined pore formers can also lower the sintering temperature for GDC to below 1300 °C, saving energy and reducing thermal stresses on the materials. They can also help maintain optimal material properties during sintering, minimising the risk of unwanted chemical reactions or contamination. This flexibility enables the versatile designing and manufacturing of ceramic fuel cells with tailored compositions at a lower cost for large-scale applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/7/636pore formershrinkagesinteringceramic compositesmicrostructurefabrication |
| spellingShingle | Mehdi Choolaei Mohsen Fallah Vostakola Bahman Amini Horri Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Crystals pore former shrinkage sintering ceramic composites microstructure fabrication |
| title | Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells |
| title_full | Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells |
| title_fullStr | Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells |
| title_short | Non-Calcined Metal Tartrate Pore Formers for Lowering Sintering Temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells |
| title_sort | non calcined metal tartrate pore formers for lowering sintering temperature of solid oxide fuel cells |
| topic | pore former shrinkage sintering ceramic composites microstructure fabrication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/7/636 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mehdichoolaei noncalcinedmetaltartrateporeformersforloweringsinteringtemperatureofsolidoxidefuelcells AT mohsenfallahvostakola noncalcinedmetaltartrateporeformersforloweringsinteringtemperatureofsolidoxidefuelcells AT bahmanaminihorri noncalcinedmetaltartrateporeformersforloweringsinteringtemperatureofsolidoxidefuelcells |