Microstructural Analyses of Ceria-Based Anode with Highly Dispersed Ni Electrocatalysts for Medium-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Mixed conducting samaria-doped ceria (SDC) anodes with a small amount of Ni nanoparticles (8 vol.%) exhibited a higher performance in SOFC operated at 700-900℃ than that of Ni-SDC cermet. Microstructural analyses of Ni-dispersed SDC showed that nanometer-sized Ni catalysts enhanced the anodic reaction rate by increasing the active reaction sites and lowering the electronic resistance in the anode effectively. The Ni-dispersed SDC anode exhibited a stable performance at 800℃ and 0.6 A cm^-2 in humidified H₂ for a long term over 1100 h.