Cobalt Ferrite in YSZ for Use as Reactive Material in Solar Thermochemical Water and Carbon Dioxide Splitting, Part I: Material Characterization

The synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of different weight loadings of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) in 8 mol.% yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) via the co-precipitation method are reported. Prepared powders were calcined at 1350A degrees C for 36 h and 1450A degrees C for 4 h in air. These powders were then formed into a porous structure using sacrificial pore formation via oxidation of co-mixed graphite powder. These formed structures obtained were then characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffraction, high-temperature x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis was performed on the most promising of the structures before being subjected to 50 thermal reduction-CO2 oxidation (redox) cycles using TGA. Together, these results indicate that CoFe2O4-8YSZ can provide a lower reduction temperature, maintain syngas production performance from cycle to cycle, and enhance utilization of the reactive material within the inert support in comparison to iron oxide only structures.