A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a solid device for electrochemically converting the chemical energy of a fuel into electrical energy without conventional combustion of the fuel. SOFCs have several advantages over other types of fuel cells, including high conversion efficiency, low sensitivity to impurities in fuels and fuel flexibility. The high operating temperature (600-1000ºC) of SOFCs enables the use of not only hydrogen but also hydrocarbons as fuels. Direct utilization of hydrocarbon fuels without pre-reforming greatly reduces the complexity and cost of fuel cell systems.