While still in the early stages of development direct carbon fuel cells (DCFC) hold much promise for the highly efficient conversion of carbonaceous fuels ranging from coal to biomass into electricity. In this talk I will initially give an overview of the different approaches that are being studied for DCFC. I will then present our most recent work on the development of a modified solid oxide fuel cell that uses a molten metal anode. In this work Sn, In, Pb and Sb were examined as anode materials for a fuel cell with a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte. Our studies show that to obtain high current densities oxygen ions must have a high solubility in the molten metal or its oxide must also be molten at the cell operating temperature. Results showing stable performance for a cell with a molten Sb/Sb2O3 anode while on operating with various carbon fuels will be presented and the electrochemical properties of the individual cell components will be discussed.

Recent advances in direct carbon fuel cells

244th National Meeting (2012)

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