Physicochemical properties of cubic Ni complex powders synthesized using urotropine chelating ligand for solid oxide fuel cells

• Nanometer sized cubic Ni was synthesized using an urotropine chelating reagent.
• The cubic Ni had positive surface charges in water at the range of pH 3.0–9.0.
• The cubic Ni-loaded YSZ was more easily reduced than commercial NiO/YSZ.
• The electrical conductivity of cubic Ni-loaded YSZ was enhanced.

New nanometer nickel-based solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode material has been synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction with nickel (II) chloride as a metal-containing precursor and a tetra dentate chelating reagent, urotropine. SEM images reveal that the Ni complexes change from two-dimensional flower-like stacked sheets to truncated cubes with increasing mol concentration of urotropine chelating additive. The truncated cubes show sizes of 50.0–200.0 nm. The electrical conductivity of the truncated cubic Ni complex (60.0 wt.%)-loaded commercial YSZ (40.0 wt.%) for an application in SOFC anode is superior compared to that of commercial NiO/YSZ at the same composition. The zeta-potential value in aqueous solution determined by electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) show a positive surface charge in the range of pH 3.0–9.0, related to the surface stability, but it changes to a negative value at above pH > 9. The H2-temperature-programmed reduction experiments confirm that the truncated cubic Ni complex-loaded commercial YSZ shows a better reducibility than the commercial NiO/YSZ.

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