An intermediate temperature direct ammonia fuel cell using a proton conducting electrolyte

The operation of fuel cells based on proton conducting BaCeO₃ solid electrolyte doubly doped with gadolinium and praseodymium is reported. Fuel cells were operated for up to 96 h with both hydrogen and ammonia individually as fuel. Results show that the performance of the cell is the same irrespective of the fuel used. The only chemical by-products of the ammonia fuel cell are nitrogen and water. The data shows that a fuel cell incorporating a doubly doped proton conducting electrolyte operated on ammonia fuel is a viable alternative to fuel cells utilizing hydrocarbon fuels as sources of hydrogen.