An experimental study of ammonia decomposition rates over cheap metal catalysts for solid oxide fuel cell anode

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device for power generation with high efficiency and low emission. Ammonia is a low-cost and carbon-free hydrogen carrier that can be directly used as a fuel for SOFC. To further improve the performance and stability of SOFC fueled by ammonia (NH3–SOFC), the design of NH3–SOFC anode for efficient and stable utilization of NH3 is critical. In this paper, the decomposition rates of NH3 over four kinds of cheap metal catalysts (nickel, iron, copper and 304 stainless steel) were tested based on metal flakes with known fixed dimensions, and the empirical correlations of the decomposition rate over different catalysts were derived. These correlations are independent of catalyst structure parameters and only related to the catalyst material and the decomposition temperature, which are important basis for realizing the oriented design of NH3–SOFC anode.