Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a promising energy conversion system due to its high energy efficiency and fuel flexibility. The recent trend for SOFC development is to lower the operating temperature to minimize material degradation and enable the use of less expensive materials. The main challenges for low-temperature SOFCs (LT-SOFCs) with hydrocarbon fuels are the polarization losses caused by the temperature drop and carbon deposition. To solve these issues, we construct a novel type of solid fuel cell by in situ generating carbonate. Dramatically high ionic conductivity of 0.16 S cm–1 at 550 °C is achieved under an air atmosphere. The fuel cell can achieve a higher power density of 215 mW cm–2 or 241 mW cm–2 at 550 °C when directly fed by methane or ethane fuels. Unprecedented open-circuit voltages (OCVs) are achieved (e.g., 1.051 V at 500 °C) using dry methane as fuels, even higher than those recently reported OCVs for conventional SOFCs with densified electrolytes.

Low-temperature solid fuel cells with hydrocarbon fuels

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ACS Fall 2022

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