NiO/YSZ nanocomposite particles synthesized via co-precipitation method for electrochemically active Ni/YSZ anode

NiO/YSZ composite particles were synthesized via a co-precipitation of hydroxides. We investigated the effect of pH on the morphology of the composite particles, as well as on the microstructure and the electrochemical property of the Ni/YSZ anode. The particles synthesized at pH 10 involved aggregated composites and large NiO. The particles resulted in coarse and inhomogeneous anode microstructure and moderate area specific resistance (ASR) as 0.57 Ω cm2 at 800 °C under open circuit voltage (OCV). Contrarily, nano-sized composite particles were successfully synthesized at pH 13. The particles provided fine as well as homogeneous porous structure with the grain size in the range 200–400 nm and low ASR as 0.36 Ω cm2 at 800 °C under OCV.