The Electrochemical Society, ECS Transactions, 1(35), p. 1097-1105, 2011
DOI: 10.1149/1.3570090
Full text: Unavailable
A strong correlation exists between the performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) and their electrode microstructures, requiring an improved understanding of this relationship if more effective application-specific SOFC electrodes are to be designed. A model has been developed capable of generating a random 3D electrode microstructure and predicting its performance by analyzing structure properties such as porosity, percolation of the various phases and the length and distribution of triple phase boundaries. A Monte Carlo process is used initially to randomly position spherical particles of the three different types, representing the ion conducting phase, electron conducting phase and pore phase, in a packed bed. Next, the pore former particles are removed. The remaining particles are then expanded uniformly to represent the sintering process, resulting in a network of particles of ionic and electronic phases overlapping each other, creating a distinctive, examinable electrode. This paper presents the impact of a range of technologically important parameters such as particle size and sintering expansion coefficient on electrode performance.