Continued particle growth and phase changes, resulting in the electrolyte redistribution and gas cross over in the electrolyte matrix fabricated from lithium aluminate (α-LiAlO2), is considered as one of the leading causes of long term electrical performance degradation in molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power generation systems. Solubility and coarsening of α-LiAlO2 has been studied under a range of atmospheric exposure conditions to understand the role of melt chemistry and carbon dioxide/oxygen partial pressures in molten Li2CO3-Na2CO3. The solubility of LiAlO2 in the molten electrolyte has been studied by “pot test” technique with subsequent analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The structural morphologies, growth, and phase transformation of LiAlO2 has been studied by scanning and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results of solubility and particle size distribution indicate that the LiAlO2 dissolves in the molten salts and precipitate on larger particles by Ostwald ripening mechanism. Dissolution and growth processes will be discussed with emphasis on melt thermodynamics and materials modeling.

A study of LiAlO2 crystal growth in molten salt

256th National Meeting (2018)

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