Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Lithium aluminate, LiA1O2 is a ceramic powder which is used as the porous solid support for the electrolyte in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs). It has previously been reported that gamma LiAlO2 will convert to lithium aluminum carbonate hydroxide hydrate, Li2Al4(CO3)(OH)12 3H2O and Li2CO3 when exposed to water vapor and carbon dioxide. We compare three techniques, weight gain, carbonate content and x-ray diffraction to measure the amount of conversion. The reaction may involve amorphous intermediates and no one technique by itself is satisfactory to study the conversion.