Micro-Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Graded Anode and Cobalt-Free SrFe<sub>0.9</sub>Sb<sub>0.1</sub>O <sub>3−δ</sub> Perovskite Cathode

Abstract

Micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has been fabricated with NiO-YSZ hollow fiber as anode support and SrFe0.9Sb0.1O3−δ-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9(SFSb-SDC) composite cathode. The NiO-YSZ hollow fiber anode was prepared by the immersion-induced phase inversion technique and shows a special asymmetrical structure with long and large finger-like porous structure near the lumen side of the hollow fiber. A thin and dense electrolyte membrane (about 12μm) was deposited on the anode by a vacuum-assisted dip-coating process. The performance of the as-prepared micro-tubular SOFC was tested at 600-800°C with humidified H2 as fuel and ambient air as the oxidant. The peak power densities of 462.8, 336.6 and 201.4 mWcm-2can be obtained at 800, 700 and 600°C, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the cobalt-free SFSb was a promising cathode material and the prepared YSZ-based micro-tubular SOFC has potential applications as power sources for portable devices.