The present study reports a simple, effective and energy-efficient method to prepare gamma-LiAlO2 powder as a matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). In our experiments, aqueous solution based sol-gel technique was used to synthesize gamma-LiAlO2. Highly dispersed AlOOH center dot nH(2)O and LiOH center dot H2O aqueous solutions were mixed to form a colloid mixture, which was calcined to synthesize gamma-LiAlO2. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the composition and morphology of the intermediate and final products. The analysis results showed that an intermediate product Li2Al4CO3(OH)(12) was produced after the colloid mixture was dried at 80 degrees C, and highly purified gamma-LiAlO2 powder with fine particle size was resulted from the subsequent calcinations. A single MCFC was assembled with a matrix of the gamma-LiAlO2 powder. The testing results showed that the matrix performed well in preventing gas leakage.