Sintering analysis of sub-micron-sized nickel powders: Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation verified by FIB–SEM reconstruction

Abstract

Since sintering of sub-micron-sized particles is a critical phenomenon affecting the electrochemical performance and reliability of solid oxide fuel cell systems, a better understanding of this microstructure-related process is of great importance. In this study, we show that kinetic Potts Monte Carlo modeling is capable of quantitatively predicting the three-dimensional (3D) microstructure evolution over an entire stage of nickel sintering at the sub-micron scale. This is achieved through direct comparison of simulation results and 3D microstructural analysis using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy. We show that grain boundary diffusion is the dominant mechanism on densification, while surface diffusion has an impact on the coarsening during sub-micron scale sintering, only acting as one of the multiple mechanisms of sintering.

Boundary Observation and Contrast Tuning of Ni/YSZ Anode by TEM and FIB-SEM

“…Alternatively, the channeling contrast could be suppressed greatly and the brightness of Ni increases significantly if we insert the C nozzle, which is normally used for the deposition of C layer. The contrast shown in Figure 3(b) is comparable to the best results in literature (6)(7)(8)14).…”

Improved controllability of wet infiltration technique for fabrication of solid oxide fuel cell anodes

“…This high-temperature sintering is required to ensure the sufficient mechanical bonding of the ceramic particles and thus the structural robustness of the porous electrodes over long-term operation. However, at such a high temperature, the metal particles tend to agglomerate, reducing the volumetric density of the reaction sites [8,9]. Therefore, the conventional powder mixing and sintering processes may not be ideal for precisely controlling electrode microstructures.…”

Simulation of the reduction process of solid oxide fuel cell composite anode based on phase field method

“…Li et al and Jiao et al [22,23] have applied PFM to simulate both the morphological and crystal structural evolutions of Ni-YSZ anode during the sintering process. Besides phase field method, the sintering analysis of Ni phase was also conducted using Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, which was verified by FIB-SEM reconstruction by Hara et al [24].…”