Activating and stabilizing the surface of anode for high-performing direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells

作者：Xu, Kang; Zhu, Feng; Hou, Mingyang; Li, Canan; Zhang, Hua; Chen, Yu^*

来源：Nano Research, 2023, 16(2): 2454-2462.

DOI：10.1007/s12274-022-4993-z

• solid oxide fuel cells
• anode
• catalyst
• infiltration
• ammonia

Ammonia has been recognized as a promising fuel for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) because of its relatively high hydrogen content and high energy density. However, the effective catalysis of ammonia on the surface of state-of-the-art anode greatly hinders the further development of direct ammonia SOFCs. In this study, we report our findings of surface activating and stabilizing of a Ni-based cermet anode for highly efficient and durable operation on ammonia fuel, achieved by a surface coating of CeO2-delta nanoparticles (NPs). When incorporated into a Ni-yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode-supported single cell, the coatings demonstrate an improved electrochemical reaction activity and stability, achieving a high peak power density of 0.941 W center dot cm(-2) at 700 degrees C, and a promising stability of similar to 60 h (degradation rate of 0.127% h(-1) at 0.5 A center dot cm(-2)), much better than those of cells with a bare anode (similar to 0.673 W center dot cm(-2) and degradation rate of 0.294% h(-1) at 0.5 A center dot cm(-2)). The catalytic NPs significantly enhance the reaction activity toward the decomposition of ammonia and oxidation of hydrogen, especially at low temperatures (< 700 degrees C), as confirmed by the detailed distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analyses of the impedance spectra of the cells on NH3 fuel.

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