Development of Single Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SCFC)

Abstract

AbstractSingle Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SCFC) have been prepared using an electrolyte as support (Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 named GDC). Anode (Ni‐GDC) and different cathodes (Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (SSC), Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (BSCF) and La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM)) were placed on the same side of the electrolyte. All the electrodes were deposited using screen‐printing technology. A gold collector was also deposited on the cathode to decrease the over‐potential. The different materials and fuel cell devices were tested under propane/air mixture, after a preliminary treatment under hydrogen to reduce the as‐deposited nickel oxide anode. The results show that SSC and BSCF cathodes are not stable in these conditions, leading to a very low open circuit voltage (OCV) of 150 mV. Although LSM material is not the more adequate cathode regarding its high catalytic activity towards hydrocarbon conversion, it has a better chemical stability than SSC and BSCF. Ni‐GDC‐LSM SCFC devices were elaborated and tested; an OCV of nearly 750 mV could be obtained with maximum power densities around 20 mW cm–2 at 620 °C, under air–propane mixture with C3H8/O2 ratio equal to 0.53.