Facile Construction of Nanostructured Cermet Anodes with Strong Metal–Oxide Interaction for Efficient and Durable Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Nanostructured anodes generate massive reaction sites to oxidize fuels in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs); however, the nonexistence of a practically viable approach for the construction of nanostructures and the retention of these nanostructures under the harsh operating conditions of SOFCs poses a significant challenge. Herein, a simple procedure is reported for the construction of a nanostructured Ni–Gd‐doped CeO2 anode based on the direct assembly of pre‐formed nanocomposite powder with strong metal–oxide interaction. The directly assembled anode forms heterointerfaces with the electrolyte owing to the electrochemical polarization current and exhibits excellent structural robustness against thermal ripening. An electrolyte‐supported cell with the directly assembled anode produces a peak power density of 0.73 W cm−2 at 800 °C, while maintaining stability for 100 h, which is in contrast to the drastic degradation of the cermet anode prepared using the conventional method. These findings provide clarity on the design and construction of durable nanostructured anodes and other electrodes for SOFCs.

A High-Strength Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Supported by an Ordered Porous Cathode Membrane

“…It can be clearly seen that the average size of the LSCF particles after the durability test is larger than that of the initially prepared ones. The degradation of the single cell is due most likely to the coarsening of the impregnated LSCF nanoparticles, which is possibly due to the lack of strong interaction between the nanoparticles and scaffolds [50,51]. In addition, the high tendency for Sr surface segregation and its migration and interaction with 8YSZ under cathodic polarization could be another reason for the degradation of the cathode [52,53].…”