Preparation and Characterization of Cu/YSZ Composite for High Temperature Electrolysis

The Cu/YSZ (Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2) composite for high temperature electrolysis (HTE) was successfully prepared by high-energy ball-milling method. Thus the synthesized Cu/YSZ composite was characterized using various analytical tools such as XRD, SEM and laser diffraction and scattering method. The Cu/YSZ cermet was composed of crystalline Cu and YSZ, in a sub-micron scale and had even distribution without aggregated particle. Electrical conductivity of sintered Cu/YSZ cermet pellet thus prepared was measured by 4-probe technique and compared with that of conventional Ni/YSZ cermet. The effect of composites composition on the electrical conductivity was investigated and the marked increase in electrical conductivity for copper contents greater than 40 vol% in the composite was explained by percolation threshold. Therefore, hydrogen production performance is expected better than Ni/YSZ cermet as result that measured a electrical conductivity.