Characteristics of Ni/YSZ Cermet Prepared by Mechanical Alloying Method for the High Temperature Electrolysis of Steam

Ni/YSZ $(Y_2O_3-stabilized\;ZrO_2)$ composite as an electrode component for High Temperature Electrolysis (HTE) was fabricated by mechanical alloying method using Ni and YSZ powders. Characterization of the synthesized composite was investigated with various analysis tools, including XRD, SEM and PSA, and a self-supporting planar unit cell prepared with the Ni/YSZ composite was prepared to study the electrochemical reactions for the production of hydrogen. The Ni/YSZ cermet is composed of crystalline Ni and YSZ, in a sub-micro scale, and has an even distribution without aggregated particles. In addition, under an electrochemical reaction, the unit cell showed an $H_2$ evolution rate from steam of 14 Nml/min and $600mA/cm^2$ of current density at the electrode.