Synthesis and characterization of NiO colloidal ink solution for printing components of solid oxide fuel cells anodes

A synthesis of NiO colloidal ink solution for printing of the main anode component of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by commercial printer was shown in the work. The ink was synthesized by a single step chemical reaction of the dissolved nickel nitrate hexahydrate and ammonium carbonate solution with the addition of Triton X-100 surfactant. Results revealed that the obtained ink was stable for at least 4 months contained almost the same NiO nanoparticles with the size at the range of 7–9 nm. These nanoparticles structural and morphology investigation was conducted by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Raman spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analytical methods. Detected rheological properties of the ink revealed that materials for anode in SOFC can be deposited using a commercial printer followed by calcination at 900 °C. Processes occurred during calcination were investigated by TGA and DSC analytical techniques. Finally, the printed coating was subjected to the investigation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).