Electrode material for molten carbonate fuel cells

Claim 1

A method for forming an electrode useful for a molten carbonate fuel cell which consists of providing substrate particles selected from the group consisting of lithium aluminate, strontium titanate, α-alumina and mixtures thereof, said substrate particles ranging in size from about 0.1 micron to about 100 microns, catalyzing the surface of said substrate particles to allow electroless plating thereof, electroless plating a metal selected from the group consisting of copper and nickel onto said catalyzed substrate particles encapsulating them with said metal producing electrode powder, said encapsulating metal being at least sufficiently thick so that said electrode powder can be sintered together by the encapsulating metal without significantly exposing the surface of said substrate particles, forming a layer of said electrode powder on a support, said formed layer of electrode powder having substantially the same shape and pore volume as said electrode, and sintering said formed layer of electrode powder in an atmosphere in which it is substantially inert at a temperature at least sufficient to sinter the contacting powder together by means of metallic bonds formed by the encapsulating metal without significantly exposing the surfaces of the substrate particles, said support and said sintering temperature having no significant deleterious effect on said electrode powder, said electrode having substantially the same shape and porosity as said formed layer of electrode powder, and said electrode having a morphology which does not change significantly due to the sintering of said metal, said electrode having a pore volume greater than 40% by volume but less than 85% by volume of said electrode and a pore size ranging from about 0.1 micron to about 20 microns.

Claim 2

A method for forming an electrode useful for a molten carbonate fuel cell which consists of providing substrate particles selected from the group consisting of lithium aluminate, strontium titanate, α-alumina and mixtures thereof, said substrate particles ranging in size from about 0.1 micron to about 100 microns, catalyzing the surface of said substrate particles to allow electroless plating thereof, electroless plating a metal selected from the group consisting of copper and nickel onto said catalyzed substrate particles encapsulating them with said metal producing electrode powder, said encapsulating metal being at least sufficiently thick so that said electrode powder can be sintered together by the encapsulating metal without significantly exposing the surface of said substrate particles, forming a layer of said electrode powder on a support, said formed layer of electrode powder having substantially the same shape and pore volume as said electrode, and sintering said formed layer of electrode powder in an atmosphere in which it is substantially inert at a temperature at least sufficient to sinter the contacting powder together by means of metallic bonds formed by the encapsulating metal without significantly exposing the surfaces of the substrate particles, said support and said sintering temperature having no significant deleterious effect on said electrode powder, said electrode having substantially the same shape and porosity as said formed layer of electrode powder, and said electrode having a morphology which does not change significantly due to the sintering of said metal, said electrode having a pore volume greater than 40% by volume but less than 85% by volume of said electrode and a pore size ranging from about 0.1 micron to about 20 microns.