Classification of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are promising, environmentally friendly energy sources. Many works are devoted to the study of materials, individual aspects of SOFC operation, and the development of devices based on them. However, there is no work covering the entire spectrum of SOFC concepts and designs. In the present review, an attempt is made to collect and structure all types of SOFC that exist today. Structural features of each type of SOFC have been described, and their advantages and disadvantages have been identified. A comparison of the designs showed that among the well-studied dual-chamber SOFC with oxygen-ion conducting electrolyte, the anode-supported design is the most suitable for operation at temperatures below 800 °C. Other SOFC types that are promising for low-temperature operation are SOFC with proton-conducting electrolyte and electrolyte-free fuel cells. However, these recently developed technologies are still far from commercialization and require further research and development.

Recent advances in electrophoretic deposition of thin-film electrolytes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

“…Despite the advantages associated with deposition on conductive cathode substrates, a lot of effort was invested in the development of electrophoretic deposition for anode-supported SOFCs with a reduced operating temperature [141]. The common way to ensure surface conductivity of non-conductive NiO-cermet anodes was the deposition of conductive (for instance, graphite) layers by painting [142,143] or spraying [132].…”

Figure‐of‐Merit Compatibility of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

“…[ 13 ] For a wider range, the classification of SOFCs also adds double‐layer fuel cells (DLFCs) and single‐layer fuel cells (LSFCs) which are not the focus of our review here. [ 14 ] The overall reactions for O‐SOFC and H‐SOFC are generally inscribed as the following equations.…”

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with a Thin Film Electrolyte: A Review on Manufacturing Technologies and Electrochemical Characteristicses

“…The main configurations of the thin film SOFCs are the cells with (i) a supporting electrolyte, (ii) a supporting electrode (an anode or a cathode), and (iii) an external support [39], as schematically shown in Figure 2. The SOFC with a freestanding electrolyte film, which is schematically presented in Figure 3, can be considered as a distinct type of thin film SOFCs [39,40]. In the case of the electrolytesupported SOFC, a dense ceramic electrolyte provides mechanical support of the cell.…”

“…The planar cell is a typical sandwich geometry with a planar electrolyte membrane placed between electrodes. This geometry is commonly used due to the relatively simple and low-cost manufacturing technology of single cells and high density of power; however, the assembling of single cells in a stack and the stack hermetization are rather sophisticated [39][40][41][42][43]. In contrast to the planar cells, the tubular geometry provides much easier sealing and hermetization of stacks, but manufacturing of single cells is more complicated.…”