Redox Stability Optimization in Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

For Ni-YSZ anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), the main drawback is that they are susceptible to reducing and oxidizing atmosphere changes because of the Ni/NiO volume variation. The anode expansion upon oxidation can cause significant stresses in the cell, eventually leading to failure. In order to improve the redox stability, an analytical model is developed to study the effect of anode structure on redox stability. Compared with the SOFC without AFL, the tensile stresses in the electrolyte and cathode of SOFC with an anode functional layer (AFL) after anode oxidation are increased by 27.07% and 20.77%, respectively. The thickness of the anode structure has a great influence on the structure’s stability. Therefore, the influence of anode thickness and AFL thickness on the stress in these two structures after oxidation is also discussed. The thickness of the anode substrate plays a more important role in the SOFC without AFL than in the SOFC with AFL. By increasing the thickness of the anode substrate, the stresses in the electrolyte and cathode decrease. This method provides a theoretical basis for the design of a reliable SOFC in the redox condition and will be more reliable with more experimental proofs in the future.