Nickel Cerium Samarium Oxide

Nickel Oxide – Cerium Samarium Oxide (NiO-SDC) is a pre-mixed, calcined composite powder engineered as the anode precursor for intermediate- and low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). Formulated at a 60:40 NiO to samaria-doped ceria (SDC, Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9) weight ratio, it reduces in situ to a porous Ni-SDC cermet that combines high electronic conductivity with genuine mixed ionic-electronic transport through the ceria phase. This ionic contribution extends the electrochemically active zone well beyond the classic triple-phase boundary line found in Ni-YSZ anodes, unlocking useful performance at 500-750 degrees C where zirconia-based anodes stall. Supplied as a free-flowing, screen-printing- and tape-casting-ready powder with tight D50 and surface-area control, it is a standard building block for IT-SOFC stacks, portable and auxiliary power units, and hydrogen electrolysis cells.

Surface Area (m²/g) :	4-7
Particle size d₅₀ (μm) :	<1.5
Purity (%) :	>=99.9

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Description

Introduction to Nickel Oxide – Cerium Samarium Oxide Powder

Nickel Oxide–Samarium-Doped Ceria (NiO-SDC) is a composite anode material typically formulated at 60:40 wt% NiO, using fluorite-structured Sm₀.₂Ce₀.₈O₁.₉ with oxygen vacancies that provide high oxide-ion conductivity. During SOFC startup, NiO is reduced in situ to metallic Ni, forming an electronically conductive network within the SDC matrix. Unlike Ni-YSZ, the electrochemically active Ni/SDC interface provides an extended reaction area, reducing anode polarisation and supporting efficient fuel oxidation at lower temperatures. Supplied as a controlled, free-flowing powder with tailored particle size and surface area, NiO-SDC is suitable for screen-printing inks, tape-casting slurries, and co-pressing. It is widely used in intermediate- and low-temperature SOFCs operating around 500–750 °C, particularly for hydrogen and syngas fuels.

FAQs

Question: What is the primary use of Nickel Cerium Samarium Oxide 60wt%NiO/40wt% (Ce₀.₉Sm₀.₁ oxide)?

Answer: It is primarily used as an anode material in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), providing high ionic and electronic conductivity for efficient power generation.

Question: How does Nickel Cerium Samarium Oxide benefit fuel cell applications?

Answer: The material improves the electrochemical characteristics of fuel cells, particularly at high operating temperatures, by enhancing high ionic conductivity and minimizing polarization resistance.

Question: What are the advantages of using this material in gas separation?

Answer: Its high conductivity and stability make it ideal for gas separation processes, especially for oxygen separation in industrial applications and fuel cells.

Question: Why choose NiO-SDC over NiO-YSZ for a new SOFC design?

Answer: NiO-SDC is generally preferred when the target operating temperature is in the intermediate range (roughly 500-750 C), where SDC's oxygen-vacancy conductivity remains useful but YSZ's does not. If the design instead targets classic high-temperature operation (900-1000 C), Ni-YSZ remains a proven, lower-cost default.

Introduction to Nickel Oxide – Cerium Samarium Oxide Powder

Property	Value	Significance
Composition	60:40 wt% NiO: SDC (Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9)	Sets the post-reduction Ni: ceria volume ratio that governs electronic percolation and ionic/TPB pathway density
Purity	99% – 99.9% (up to 99.99% on request)	Trace cation impurities (Fe, Si, alkali) segregate to grain boundaries and accelerate Ni coarsening and conductivity loss
Particle size (D50)	< 1.5 um	Controls green-body packing, sintering shrinkage, and final pore/TPB microstructure of the fired anode
Surface area (BET)	4 – 7 m2/g	Higher surface area promotes lower-temperature sinterability and finer, more uniform Ni-SDC grain structure.
Crystal structure	Fluorite (SDC) + cubic rock-salt (NiO)	The fluorite SDC lattice hosts the oxygen vacancies responsible for oxide-ion conduction
Theoretical density	~6.7 – 6.9 g/cm3	Used to calculate green density and target porosity for anode substrate or functional-layer design
Operating temperature range	500 – 800 C (optimal 600 – 750 C)	Matches the temperature window where SDC ionic conductivity is high, and Ni sintering/coarsening is still manageable
Reduction behavior	NiO reduces to metallic Ni under H2 at cell start-up	Generates the porous, percolating Ni-SDC cermet microstructure from the as-fired oxide powder

Property

Value

Significance

Composition

60:40 wt% NiO: SDC (Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9)

Sets the post-reduction Ni: ceria volume ratio that governs electronic percolation and ionic/TPB pathway density

Purity

99% – 99.9% (up to 99.99% on request)

Trace cation impurities (Fe, Si, alkali) segregate to grain boundaries and accelerate Ni coarsening and conductivity loss

Particle size (D50)

< 1.5 um

Controls green-body packing, sintering shrinkage, and final pore/TPB microstructure of the fired anode

Surface area (BET)

4 – 7 m2/g

Higher surface area promotes lower-temperature sinterability and finer, more uniform Ni-SDC grain structure.

Crystal structure

Fluorite (SDC) + cubic rock-salt (NiO)

The fluorite SDC lattice hosts the oxygen vacancies responsible for oxide-ion conduction

Theoretical density

~6.7 – 6.9 g/cm3

Used to calculate green density and target porosity for anode substrate or functional-layer design

Operating temperature range

500 – 800 C (optimal 600 – 750 C)

Matches the temperature window where SDC ionic conductivity is high, and Ni sintering/coarsening is still manageable

Reduction behavior

NiO reduces to metallic Ni under H2 at cell start-up

Generates the porous, percolating Ni-SDC cermet microstructure from the as-fired oxide powder

Grade / Form	Typical Purity	Key Features / Uses
Standard Grade NiO-SDC (60:40)	99.0%	General-purpose anode powder for screen-printed and tape-cast IT-SOFC anodes; balances cost and performance
High-Purity Grade	99.9%	Reduced trace-metal content for lower degradation rates and reproducible long-duration stack testing
Ultra-High Purity Grade	99.99% (4N)	Reference-grade material for fundamental electrochemistry studies and conductivity/degradation benchmarking
Fine Particle / Functional-Layer Grade	99% – 99.9%, D50 ~0.3 – 0.8 um	Sub-micron cut for thin anode functional layers and anode-supported cell active layers requiring fine TPB structure
Custom Composition Grade	99% – 99.9%, variable NiO ratio and Sm-doping level	NiO: SDC ratios (e.g. 50:50 to 65:35) and Sm content tailored for thermal-expansion matching or target conductivity

Grade / Form

Typical Purity

Key Features / Uses

Standard Grade NiO-SDC (60:40)

99.0%

General-purpose anode powder for screen-printed and tape-cast IT-SOFC anodes; balances cost and performance

High-Purity Grade

99.9%

Reduced trace-metal content for lower degradation rates and reproducible long-duration stack testing

Ultra-High Purity Grade

99.99% (4N)

Reference-grade material for fundamental electrochemistry studies and conductivity/degradation benchmarking

Fine Particle / Functional-Layer Grade

99% – 99.9%, D50 ~0.3 – 0.8 um

Sub-micron cut for thin anode functional layers and anode-supported cell active layers requiring fine TPB structure

Custom Composition Grade

99% – 99.9%, variable NiO ratio and Sm-doping level

NiO: SDC ratios (e.g. 50:50 to 65:35) and Sm content tailored for thermal-expansion matching or target conductivity

Industry	Application	Function
Automotive	SOFC auxiliary power units (APUs) for trucks, buses, and off-highway vehicles	Anode material enabling on-board electrical power generation from diesel or natural gas reformate
Stationary power	Residential and commercial combined heat and power (CHP) SOFC systems	Provides the fuel-oxidation anode in intermediate-temperature stacks for efficient distributed generation
Portable/backup power	Man-portable and telecom backup SOFC power modules	Enables faster thermal cycling and startup at lower operating temperatures than YSZ-based anodes
Hydrogen production	Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) for high-temperature water/steam electrolysis	Same Ni-SDC cermet operates in reverse as the hydrogen-evolution electrode
Aerospace and defense	Auxiliary and emergency power systems	Compact, fuel-flexible power generation with reduced thermal management burden
Research and materials science	Anode microstructure, TPB, and degradation-mechanism studies	Well-characterised composite powder used as a reproducible baseline for half-cell and full-cell testing

Industry

Application

Function

Automotive

SOFC auxiliary power units (APUs) for trucks, buses, and off-highway vehicles

Anode material enabling on-board electrical power generation from diesel or natural gas reformate

Stationary power

Residential and commercial combined heat and power (CHP) SOFC systems

Provides the fuel-oxidation anode in intermediate-temperature stacks for efficient distributed generation

Portable/backup power

Man-portable and telecom backup SOFC power modules

Enables faster thermal cycling and startup at lower operating temperatures than YSZ-based anodes