Fuel-Flexible Ceramic Fuel Cells at Reduced Operating Temperatures

Abstract

Ceramic fuel cells are uniquely capable of generating power using a wide range of fuels, including hydrogen, hydrocarbons, and ammonia. One of the primary issues of ceramic fuel cells for large-scale power generation originates from the high operating temperature, which leads to limited material choices for interconnects and sealants, expensive balance of plants, slow start-up and shutdown cycles, and high degradation rates, inevitably limiting their scaleup and commercialization. Reducing the temperature to <600 °C could transform the architecture and operation of ceramic fuel cells. However, the internal reforming of hydrocarbons is endothermic, which is thermodynamically and kinetically unfavorable at lowered operating temperatures, necessitating the development of internal reforming catalysts to enhance the anode catalytic activity. This talk will first focus on presenting the approaches that have been validated for designing and synthesizing internal reforming catalysts, with a particular focus on internal steam reforming and dry reforming of methane. Additionally, the characterization of high-performance ceramic fuel cells equipped with these catalysts will also be discussed. The associated challenges and proposing strategies from different perspectives will also be provided in this talk.