Infiltrated multiscale porous cathode for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells

A Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ (SSC)-BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3−δ (BZCY) composite cathode with multiscale porous structure was successfully fabricated through infiltration for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The multiscale porous SSC catalyst was coated on the BZCY cathode backbones. Single cells with such composite cathode demonstrated peak power densities of 0.289, 0.383, and 0.491 W cm⁻² at 600, 650, 700 °C, respectively. Cell polarization resistances were found to be as low as 0.388, 0.162, and 0.064 Ω cm² at 600, 650 and 700 °C, respectively. Compared with the infiltrated multiscale porous cathode, cells with screen-printed SSC-BZCY composite cathode showed much higher polarization resistance of 0.912 Ω cm² at 600 °C. This work has demonstrated a promising approach in fabricating high performance proton-conducting SOFCs.     

Development of a novel type of composite cathode material for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells

A high-performance solid oxide fuel cell La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSM) cathode/metallic interconnect contact material Ni_1−xCo_xO, added with the mixed ionic-electronic conducting Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_2−δ (SDC), was proposed as a novel composite cathode for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H-SOFCs) with BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_3−δ (BZCYYb) as the electrolyte. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the maximum doped ratio of Ni_1−xCo_xO was Ni_0.7Co_0.3O (NC3O), also shown that NC3O was chemically compatible with SDC at temperatures up to 1400 °C. The TEC of NC3O was also measured to check its thermal compatibility with other components. Laboratory-sized tri-layer cells of NiO–BZCYYb/BZCYYb/NC3O-SDC were fabricated and tested with humidified hydrogen (∼3% H₂O) as fuel and static air as oxidant, respectively. A maximum power density of 204 mW cm⁻² and a low interfacial polarization resistance Rp of 0.683 Ω cm² were achieved at 700 °C. The results have indicated that the NC3O-SDC composite is a simple, stable and cost-effective cathode material for H-SOFCs.     

Layered perovskite GdBaCoFeO5+x as cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

A layered perovskite oxide, GdBaCoFeO_5+x (GBCF), was investigated as a novel cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). A laboratory-sized Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 (SDC)-based tri-layer cell of NiO–SDC/SDC/GBCF was tested under intermediate-temperature conditions of 550–650 °C with humidified H₂ (∼3% H₂O) as a fuel and the static ambient air as oxidant. A maximal power density of 746 mW cm⁻² was achieved at 650 °C. The interfacial polarization resistance was as low as 0.42, 0.18 and 0.11 Ω cm² at 550, 600 and 650 °C, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the layered perovskite GBCF is a promising cathode candidate for IT-SOFCs.     

Preparation of honeycomb porous solid oxide fuel cell cathodes by breath figures method

Honeycomb porous LSM/YSZ composite cathodes are prepared using the breath figures (BFs) method with nontoxic and easily available water droplets as templates. They were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Experimental results indicate that 1) ambient temperature, relative humidity, and thickness of the slurry have significant influence on the morphology of porous membrane; 2) the membrane with a thickness of 35 μm prepared at 35 °C and relative humidity of 70-75% shows the lowest polarization resistance between the LSM/YSZ composite cathode and YSZ electrolyte; and 3) the honeycomb structure of composite cathodes is favorable for lowering the low-frequency resistance concerning diffusion processes at relatively low operating temperatures of 650 and 700 °C.     

Preparation and performance of a nano-honeycomb cathode for microtubular solid oxide fuel cells

The effect of a nano-honeycomb cathode on the performance of a microtubular solid oxide fuel cell is investigated. We successfully prepared nano-honeycomb cathodes with high unsealing pore porosity (～64.6%) and high structural strength by freeze casting, which improved the adsorption and dissociation of oxygen. We added gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) nanopowder to the lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF) cathode material. The cell performance of the nano-cell structure of the GDC-LSCF cathode is significantly improved compared to a traditional GDC-LSCF cathode with a spongy porous structure. At 750 °C, the current density is 1450 mA cm^?2 and the power density is 475 mW cm^?2, which is better than that of conventional cathode structures. We discussed the effects of the honeycomb structure on the cell, including the migration of silver paste as a cathodic collector to the GDC-LSCF interface and the improvement of the activity of the oxygen electrodes.     

Perovskite-related intergrowth cathode materials with thin YSZ electrolytes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The electrochemical performances of solid oxide fuel cells with thin yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes and YSZ/Ni anodes were studied with two intergrowth oxides cathodes (Sr_2.7La_0.3Fe_1.4Co_0.6O_7−δ and LaSr₃Fe_1.5Co_1.5O_10−δ) and the results compared to a related perovskite cathode (La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.5Fe_0.5O_3−δ). It was found that cells produced with LaSr₃Fe_1.5Co_1.5O_10−δ exhibited peak power densities close to 0.75 W cm⁻², despite the relatively modest electrical conductivity of this compound. In contrast, cells produced with Sr_2.7La_0.3Fe_1.4Co_0.6O_7−δ and La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.5Fe_0.5O_3−δ cathodes both exhibited peak power densities of less than 0.4 W cm⁻². The greater performance for the cells produced with LaSr₃Fe_1.5Co_1.5O_10−δ may be attributed to a higher catalytic activity for this compound or to an improved adhesion of the cathode to the interlayer/electrolyte.     

High performance layered SmBa0.5Sr0.5Co2O5+δ cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The layered SmBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co₂O_5+δ (SBSC) perovskite oxide is synthesized by the Pechini method and investigated as a novel cathode material for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). A laboratory-sized Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 (SDC)-based tri-layer cell of NiO–SDC/SDC/SBSC is operated from 500 to 700 °C fed with humidified H₂ (3% H₂O) as a fuel and the static ambient air as oxidant. A maximum power density of 1147 mW cm⁻² is achieved at 700 °C. The interfacial polarization resistance is as low as 1.01, 0.38, 0.16, 0.06 and 0.03 Ω cm² at 500, 550, 600, 650 and 700 °C, respectively. The experimental results indicate that SBSC is a very promising cathode material for IT-SOFCs.     

Porous YFe0.5Co0.5O3 thin sheets as cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

In this work, porous YFe_0.5Co_0.5O₃ (YFC) thin sheets were synthesized by citric acid method. The crystal structure, morphology, thermal expansion, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical properties of YFC were investigated to evaluate it as a possible cathode on BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O₃ (BZCY) electrolyte for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). An orthorhombic perovskite structure was observed in YFC. The conductivity of YFC is 183 S cm ^?1 at 750 °C in air. The coefficient of thermal expansion of composite cathode YFC-BZCY is closer to BZCY electrolyte than YFC. The composite cathode represents a relatively low polarization resistance (R_p) of 0.07 Ω cm² at 750 °C in air due to the porous thin sheet-like cathode. The oxygen reduction reaction process and the reaction activation energy of cathode were also analyzed. An anode-supported cell of NiO-BZCY∣BZCY∣YFC-BZCY is fabricated by a simple method of co-pressing. The power density of the cell is 303 mW cm^?2 at 750 °C as the thickness of electrolyte is 400 μm. The results suggest that YFC is a promising cathode candidate for IT-SOFC.     

High performance anode with dendritic porous structure for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells

A dendritic porous supported microstructure simultaneously creates small pore size and broad gas diffusion pathways in a solid oxide fuel cell anode membrane. This microstructure also achieves pore sizes that reduce with increasing depth within the membrane without increasing the structure tortuosity. Such a microstructure supplies high triple phase boundary density, fast gas diffusion and low polarization resistance. Here we characterise the performance of a porous anode with such a dendritic microstructure. The solid oxide fuel cell with this high performance anode achieved 0.92 W cm^?2 power density at 600 °C.     

Fibrous mixed conducting cathode with embedded ionic conducting particles for solid oxide fuel cells

The Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3−δ (SSC) fibers with embedded nano-Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 (SDC) particles are fabricated by electrospinning process using commercial SDC nanopowders and an SSC precursor gel containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and aqueous metal nitrate. After calcination at 800 °C, fibers with diameters ranged between 300 and 500 nm and well-developed SSC cubic-perovskite structure and SDC fluorite are successfully obtained. The calculated crystallite sizes of SSC and SDC are 20.78 and 45.35 nm, respectively. Over whole measured temperature ranges during the symmetrical cell test, the fiber composite cathode exhibits much lower polarization resistance than conventional powder composite cathodes. The polarization resistances are estimated to 0.06 and 1.23 Ω cm² for the fiber composites and 0.15 and 2.10 Ω cm² for the powder composites at 700 and 550 °C, respectively. The single cell with the fiber composite cathode shows much higher performances; its maximum power density is 380.5 mW cm⁻² at 550 °C and higher than 1278 mW cm⁻² at 700 °C.     

Microstructural stability of SSC fibrous cathode with embedded SDC particles for solid oxide fuel cells operating on hydrogen

The research dealing with performance enhancement by Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO_3?δ (SSC) fibrous cathode with embedded Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9 (SDC) particles has been reported by our previous study. In this paper, in order to assess the feasibility and reliability of this fibrous SSC-SDC cathode as a practical cathode, we conducted the short-term stability test using a half-cell under cathodic polarization treatment to identify the degradation phenomena only at the cathode. The polarization treatment was conducted under the current density of 500 mA/cm². The stability test was carried out at 700 °C in air under the condition of open circuit. After the measurement, the resistance associated with charge transfer and surface catalytic reaction were increased by 159 and 77%, respectively. The reasons for this degradation can be considered common approaches of perovskites cathode materials such as grain growth and Sr-enrichment. Fortunately, the fibers maintain their original shape, porosity and interfacial adhesion to electrolyte.     

Preparation and electrochemical properties of Sr-doped Nd2NiO4 cathode materials for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Cathode materials Nd_2 − xSr_xNiO₄ were prepared by the glycine-nitrate process and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AC impendence spectroscopy and DC polarization method, respectively. The results show that no reaction occurred between the electrode and the CGO electrolyte at 1100 °C and the electrode formed good contact with the electrolyte after being sintered at 1000 °C for 4 h. The rate-limiting step for oxygen reduction reaction on Nd_1.6Sr_0.4NiO₄ electrode changed with oxygen partial pressure and measurement temperature. The Nd_1.6Sr_0.4NiO₄ electrode gave a polarization resistance of 0.93 Ω cm² at 700 °C in air, which indicates that Nd_2 − xSr_xNiO₄ electrode is a promising cathode material for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC).     

Electrospun yttria-stabilized zirconia nanofibers for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

We report a 3.5-fold improvement in the performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating at 450 °C with the introduction of electrospun yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nanofiber interlayers between the electrolyte and cathode. YSZ nanofibers with diameters of 150–200 nm were uniformly deposited with various thicknesses on a single-crystal YSZ substrate. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses revealed a drastically reduced polarization resistance, which was mainly attributed to the high specific surface area and high porosity of the YSZ nanofiber interlayers. Our results demonstrate the possibility of using YSZ nanofibers for the development of high-performance SOFCs at low temperature.     

Short review on cobalt-free cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells

Cobalt-containing cathodes are known for their ability to operate under high-temperature applications in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Reducing the operation temperature into intermediate temperature-to-low temperature (IT-LT) zones may lead to a mismatch in the thermal expansion coefficient between the cathodes and the developed IT-LTSOFC electrolyte materials. Hence, cathode materials are adjusted to resolve this issue. Studies on IT-LTSOFC propose cobalt-free cathodes as an alternative way to produce high electrochemical performance cells for operation within the IT-LT range. Novel cobalt-free cathode powders are developed using perovskite structured materials, such as strontium ferrite oxide, as the main components together with dopants. This paper reviews various studies on cobalt-free cathode development, including the most important parameter in determining cathode performance, namely, the polarization resistance of SOFC cathodes.     

Fabrication and performance of gadolinia-doped ceria-based intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) based on gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) are developed in this study. A carbonate co-precipitation method is used to synthesize the nano-sized GDC powders. A dense GDC electrolyte thin film supported by a Ni–GDC porous anode is fabricated by dry-pressing and spin-coating processes, respectively. In comparison with dry pressing, it is easy to prepare a thinner electrolyte film by the novel spin-coating method. Cell performance is examined using humidified (3% H₂O) hydrogen as fuel and air as oxidant in the temperature range of 500–700 °C. Cell performance is strongly dependent on the electrolyte thickness. With a porous Ni–GDC anode, a dense 19-μm GDC electrolyte film and a porous La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O₃–GDC cathode, the cell exhibits maximum power densities of 130, 253, 386 and 492 mW cm⁻² at 500, 550, 600 and 650 °C, respectively. It is also found that at the low operating temperature about 500 °C, the cell resistance is significantly dominated by the electrode polarization resistance.     

Microstructure, property and processing relation in gradient porous cathode of solid oxide fuel cells using statistical continuum mechanics

This paper investigates the relation between microstructure, macroscopic transport properties, and fabrication processing for a gradient porous cathode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Functionally graded porous cathode with smooth variations in pore size is composed of lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM) fabricated on yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte substrate using a multi-step spray pyrolysis (SP) technique at various deposition conditions. Two-dimensional (2D) serial-sections of the gradient porous microstructure obtained by FIB-SEM are fully characterized using statistical correlation functions. Results of statistical analysis of the microstructures revealed that the SP processing technique is capable of generating statistically identical and homogeneous microstructures with smooth gradient in pore size resulting from changing the processing parameters. Strong contrast statistical approach is also used to predict the in-plane temperature dependent effective electrical conductivity of the gradient porous cathode and the results are compared to the experimental data.     

Functionally-graded composite cathodes for durable and high performance solid oxide fuel cells

A double-layer dual-composite cathode is fabricated and has an ideal cathode microstructure with large electrochemical active sites and enhanced the durability in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The insertion of a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-rich functional layer between the electrolyte and the electrode allows for a graded transition of the YSZ phase, which enhances ionic percolation and minimizes the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch. Electrochemical measurements reveal that the double-layer composite cathode exhibits improved cathodic performance and long-term stability compared with a single-layer composite cathode. A cell with a well-controlled cathode maintains nearly constant interfacial polarization resistance during an 80 h accelerated lifetime test.     

High performance electrolyte-coated anodes for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells: Model and Experiments

A geometric micro-model and experiment development are presented for electrolyte-coated anodes with high performance in solid oxide fuel cells. The anodes are based on electron conducting frameworks, where fine, oxygen-ion conducting inclusions are introduced via an ion impregnation process. The model shows that the length of triple-phase-boundary (TPB) increases with the loading of the coated electrolyte, and is dependent only on the loading before a maximum loading for monolayer coverage is obtained. The maximum loading increases with the porosity of the framework. As a result, the prolonged TPB length can be achieved by increasing the porosity and the loading. In the experimental study, Ni was used as the electron conductor, and samaria-doped ceria (SDC) was employed as the electrolyte to form anode-supported single cells. The cell performance was evaluated using humidified hydrogen as the fuel. The peak power density increased with SDC loading to a maximum value and decreased when the loading was further increased. The highest peak power density of the cells whose anodes were prepared with 10, 20 and 30 wt.% pore former was 571, 631 and 723 mW cm⁻², corresponding to 508, 564 and 648 mg cm⁻³ of SDC loading, respectively. The experimental results are in good agreement with the model prediction. Therefore, this work demonstrates theoretically and experimentally that optimization of the porosity and electrolyte loading is critical for further improving the performance of electrolyte-coated anodes.     

A novel layered perovskite cathode for proton conducting solid oxide fuel cells

BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.2O_3−δ (BZCY7) exhibits adequate proton conductivity as well as sufficient chemical and thermal stability over a wide range of SOFC operating conditions, while layered SmBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co₂O_5+δ (SBSC) perovskite demonstrates advanced electrochemical properties based on doped ceria electrolyte. This research fully takes advantage of these advanced properties and develops novel protonic ceramic membrane fuel cells (PCMFCs) of Ni-BZCY7|BZCY7|SBSC. The results show that the open-circuit potential of 1.015 V and maximum power density of 533 mW cm⁻² are achieved at 700 °C. With temperature increase, the total cell resistance decreases, among which electrolyte resistance becomes increasingly dominant over polarization resistance. The results also indicate that SBSC perovskite cathode is a good candidate for intermediate temperature PCMFC development, while the developed Ni-BZCY7|BZCY7|SBSC cell is a promising functional material system for next generation SOFCs.     

A novel post-treatment to calcium cobaltite cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

The calcium cobaltite (CCO) cathodes are post-treated by dipping in the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The electrochemical properties are investigated by the electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and current-voltage test in the symmetrical cell and single cell, respectively. The phase structure and morphology of the cathodes are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiment results show that the mesopores are created on the surface of the cathode particles and the pore channels of the cathode are cleaned up after leaching with 10 wt % H₂O₂, resulting in a remarkable decreasing of the area specific resistance (e.g. only 42.5% of that for the untreated cathode at 800 °C). The single cell with treated cathode is about 2 times the peak power density of the cell with untreated cathode, signifying the post-treating method may be promising.