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Achieve a high electrochemical oxidation activity by a self-assembled cermet composite anode with low Ni content for solid oxide fuel cells

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Abstract

Ni-based cermets are the most widely used anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. Reducing the content of Ni is beneficial to anode stability but usually unfavorable for the catalytic activity. In this study, Ni-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ anode with a low Ni content is synthesized through a polymer-directed evaporation-induced self-assembly strategy. Ni distributes evenly in the anode, resulting in an enlarged triple-phase boundary region and improved reactivity of lattice oxygen in the oxide phase. The anode containing 5 wt.% Ni possesses the highest amounts of oxygen vacancies and Ce3+/Ce4+ redox pairs that facilitates the charge transfer process, which is one of the rate-determining steps of anode reaction. Consequently, that anode shows the lowest polarization resistance of 0.014 Ω cm2 at 700 °C, much lower than those of other Ni-based anodes prepared through conventional techniques such as impregnation and solid-mixing. With that anode, a single cell supported by a 480-μm-thick Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ electrolyte layer exhibits the maximum power density of 270 mW cm−2 at 700 °C. The anode also shows a promising stability.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract number 22075205 and the support of Tian** Municipal Science and Technology Commission under contract number 19JCYBJC21700 are gratefully acknowledged. The work has been also supported by the Program of Introducing Talents to the University Disciplines under file number B06006, and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Teams in Universities under file number IRT 0641.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (Tian** University), Tian** Key Laboratory of Applied Catalysis Science and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tian** University, Tian**, 300072, China

    Bingxue Wu, Jian Zhang, Zhi Yang, Xuanlin Lu, **n Zhao, Wen Liu, Jiaxuan Chen, Yicheng Zhao & Yongdan Li

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tian**), Tian**, 300072, China

    Bingxue Wu, Jian Zhang, Zhi Yang, Xuanlin Lu, **n Zhao, Wen Liu, Jiaxuan Chen, Yicheng Zhao & Yongdan Li

  3. Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Aalto University, Kemistintie 1, 00076, Aalto, Finland

    Yongdan Li

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  1. Bingxue Wu
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  2. Jian Zhang
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  3. Zhi Yang
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Correspondence to Yicheng Zhao.

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Wu, B., Zhang, J., Yang, Z. et al. Achieve a high electrochemical oxidation activity by a self-assembled cermet composite anode with low Ni content for solid oxide fuel cells. J Solid State Electrochem 27, 2727–2736 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-023-05573-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-023-05573-z

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