Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Research Articles

Recycling and characterization of end-of-life solid oxide fuel/electrolyzer ceramic material cell components

In this work, a strategy for recycling and recovery of anode supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) ceramic components is presented. From commercial cells, electrodes and electrolyte are separated by mechanical scraping and grinding, followed by thermal and chemical treatments. Air electrode (LaxSr1-xCoO3), nickel oxide (NiO), which accounts for about 50% of the cell weight, and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which is coming from both the fuel electrode and the electrolyte, were successfully separated, and 90–92% of the total weight of initial Ni and YSZ can be collected. The recovered materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, (thermal, chemical) analysis and BET surface area measurement, and impurities amounts never excess 1 At.%. The conductivity level of the recycled YSZ materials was measured in air by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and is found comparable with commercial YSZ material, with a total value exceeding 6.4 10−3 S cm−1 at 700 °C. The contributions of grain and grain boundary conductivities to the total conductivity are clearly distinguishable at lower temperatures.

Partial oxidation of methane enabling complete coking resistance of Ni-YSZ anode supported solid oxide fuel cells

• Partial oxidation of methane ensures complete coking resistance of Ni-YSZ. • Small decrease in cell performance can be observed with the oxygen content increasing. • Enhanced carbon activity is attributed to the partial oxidation of methane. • Incorporating partial oxidation and electrochemical oxidation is an effective approach. The utilization of natural gas as fuel for Ni-YSZ anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is a most promising method to accelerate the commercialization process. However, the state-of-art Ni-based anode is sensitive to the natural gas, leading to the carbon formation and cell degradation. Herein, a catalytic partial oxidation approach is proposed by introducing different amounts of oxygen in methane for improving the coking resistance of Ni-based anode. The carbon activity is reduced from 400 to 0.4 when using 15%CH 4 -5%O 2 as fuel, and the electrochemical performance is only decreased by 10 %. Considering the working condition of SOFCs, a complete coking resistance of SOFC can be obtained by introducing only 1.25% O 2 at 0.59 V. This indicates that introducing a small amount of oxygen in methane is beneficial for improving coking resistance of SOFC under working condition.

Thermally driven long–distance elemental diffusion enhances the sinterability of anode and electrolyte of metal–supported solid oxide fuel cells

Metal–supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the merits of quick startup, low cost, and excellent robustness, however, there is a lack of understanding on the effect of thermally driven elemental diffusion. Herein, we investigate the role of elemental diffusion on the evolution of morphologies and electrochemical performance of Ni–Fe alloy supported Ni–yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode and YSZ electrolyte film. The results show that during the co–sintering process at high temperatures, there is significant diffusion of Fe element from the Ni–Fe oxide substrate to the anode and electrolyte. The elemental diffusion leads to the formation of a NiO core/NiFe2O4 shell structure in the anode and dissolution of Fe cations in the YSZ lattices of anode and electrolyte, but also significantly enhances the sinterability of both layers. The negative effect of Fe diffusion induced microstructure coarsening is largely compensated by the formation of an electrocatalytically active Ni–Fe alloy in the reduced anode. The present work provides insights into the design and development of efficient metal–supported SOFCs by taking advantage of elemental diffusion.

Performance of Two-Dimensional Functionally Graded Anode Supported Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract Ceramic materials used in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are subjected to high thermal stresses which is a result of the unequal thermal expansion coefficient of different layers. As a result, SOFCs are susceptible to failure at elevated temperatures, and therefore the maximum operating temperature is limited. Consequently, the power density is limited as well. Fuel cells with electrodes that have graded compositions in the thickness direction have been investigated to control the thermal expansion. In this study, two-dimensional grading is proposed for the electrodes and compared with the one-dimensional grading in terms of thermal stress and performance. A comprehensive model is developed for high-temperature SOFCs that include the momentum, species, energy, and charge transport equations. Furthermore, the bilinear elastoplastic model is used for the calculation of thermal stresses and failure of solids. Two-dimensional functionally graded electrodes are studied in which the grading is implemented in the thickness and length directions. Results indicate that continuous one-dimensional grading functions reduced thermal stresses by 40% for m = 0.8 compared with conventional electrodes. It also improved the electrochemical performance, as the maximum power density increased by 15%. For the 2D piecewise linear grading function, a further improvement of reducing thermal stresses by an extra 16.5% is obtained. Two-dimensional graded SOFCs can therefore operate at higher temperatures safely in terms of thermal stresses. This creates an opportunity to fabricate high-temperature, compact SOFCs for high-power applications.

Elementary Reaction Kinetic Model of an Anode-Supported Syngas Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Considering the Carbon Deposition Effect

A one-dimensional transient elementary reaction kinetic model of an anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fueled with syngas is developed considering the carbon deposition effect. This model incorporates the coupling effect of heterogeneous elementary chemical and electrochemical reactions, the electrode microstructure and the charge and mass transport processes. The degradation process of the Ni/YSZ anode is considered by a carbon formation mechanism. The model is validated by experimental electrochemical impedance spectra and the simulation results agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The numerical results of carbon deposition simulation indicate that the fuel cell performance and the degradation progress are influenced significantly by the operation temperature and gas compositions. The surface carbon deposition can be decreased by increasing the operating temperature. And the degradation effect can be lessened by reducing carbon dioxide, methane or carbon monoxide in the fuel.

Dry Surface Treatment Technology for the Design of the Anode Side of the Metal Support Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (MS-SOFC)

As an electrochemical energy conversion device, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has many advantages in energy conversion efficiency, fuel flexibility and environmental benefits. A typical high temperature SOFC possesses the advantages of high power density and high-grade waste heat production. However, high-temperature SOFC faces challenges in cost and long-term durability. Once the operating temperature of SOFC is effectively reduced, the fuel cell configuration anode supported can be changed to metal-supported SOFC (MS-SOFC). Alternative MS-SOFC designs have the advantages of low-cost material, robustness and convenient manufacturing.In the present work, the metal supported half-cell with ITM / protective layer / Ni-YSZ / YSZ / GDC configurations were elaborated. Three protective layers of Co, Ce/Co and GDC were compared in terms of preventing Cr diffusion. Reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) was used to deposit the electrolyte and the barrier layer because it can easily achieve a dense adherent and thin film. Atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) was used to deposit the cermet Ni-YSZ anode layer to facilitate the formation of porous structures. The morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of MS-SOFC were characterized by SEM, XRD and EDX, respectively. Finally, its electrical characteristics were measurements by four probe electrical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements.

Improving the Stability of Series-Connected Solid Oxide Fuel Cells By Modifying YSZ Electrolyte Composition

YSZ based anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were prepared, and two cells withdifferent electrolyte thicknesses were connected in series for the simulation of a cell-imbalanced fuel cell stack.Pure YSZ cells in a series connection exhibited a rapid degradation when a thick electrolyte cell was operatedunder a negative voltage. On the other hand, ceria added-YSZ cells in a series connection were stable undersimilar operating conditions, and the power density and impedance were about the same as those before tests.The improved stability was due to the reduction of internal partial pressure in the electrolyte by locallyincreasing the electronic conduction. Thus, we propose a new protection method, i.e., the local addition ofceria in the YSZ electrolyte, to extend the lifetime of a cell-imbalanced SOFC stack.

Elementary Reaction Kinetic Model of an Anode-Supported Syngas Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Considering the Carbon Deposition Effect

A one-dimensional transient elementary reaction kinetic model of an anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fueled with syngas is developed considering the carbon deposition effect. This model incorporates the coupling effect of heterogeneous elementary chemical and electrochemical reactions, the electrode microstructure and the charge, and mass transport processes. The model is validated by both experimental I-V curves and electrochemical impedance spectra. The simulation results agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The numerical results of carbon deposition simulation indicate that the surface carbon coverage can be decreased by increasing the operating temperature and reducing the carbon dioxide, methane, or carbon monoxide in the fuel.

The effects of fuel variability on the electrical performance and durability of a solid oxide fuel cell operating on biohythane

Biohythane is typically composed of 60/30/10 vol% CH4/CO2/H2 and can be produced via two-stage anaerobic digestion of renewable and low carbon biomass with much greater efficiency compared with CH4/CO2 biogas. This work investigates the effects of fuel variability on the electrical performance and fuel processing of a commercially available anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operating on biohythane mixtures at 750 °C. Cell electrical performance was characterised using current-voltage curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Fuel processing was characterised using quadrupole mass spectroscopy. It is shown that when H2/CO2 is blended with CH4 to make biohythane, the SOFC efficiency is significantly increased, high SOFC durability is achieved, and there are considerable savings in CH4 consumption. Enhanced electrical performance was due to the additional presence of H2 and promotion of CH4 dry reforming, the reverse Boudouard and reverse water-gas shift reactions. These processes alleviated carbon deposition and promoted electrochemical oxidation of H2 as the primary power production pathway. Substituting 50 vol% CH4 with 25/75 vol% H2/CO2 was shown to increase cell power output by 81.6% at 0.8 V compared with pure CH4. This corresponded to a 3.4-fold increase in the overall energy conversion efficiency and a 72% decrease in CH4 consumption. A 260 h durability test demonstrated very high cell durability when operating on a typical 60/30/10 vol% CH4/CO2/H2 biohythane mixture under high fuel utilisation due to inhibition of carbon deposition. Overall, this work suggests that decarbonising gas grids by substituting natural gas with renewably produced H2/CO2 mixtures (rather than pure H2 derived from fossil fuels), and utilising in SOFC technology, gives considerable gains in energy conversion efficiency and carbon emissions savings.

Locally developed electronic conduction in a yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte for durable solid oxide fuel cells

In the present work, anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on a YSZ single layer electrolyte with locally developed electronic conduction near the anode side is fabricated to improve the cell durability under negative voltage conditions. A ceria added Ni/YSZ anode functional layer is utilized and co-sintered with the YSZ electrolyte at 1460 °C. Cerium ions are diffused into a limited region of the YSZ layer (∼6 μm), establishing a ceria doped YSZ region. We successfully demonstrate that this YSZ single layer cell can operate stably for ∼100 h without anode/electrolyte interface delamination, even under a negative voltage. The embedded probe technique and theoretical calculation reveal that the internal oxygen partial pressure (near the anode) is substantially reduced (stabilized) by means of local electronic conduction of ceria doped YSZ. Thus, we propose an SOFC electrolyte design comprising a YSZ single layer with a ceria added anode functional layer (locally formed ceria doped YSZ in the electrolyte) as a protection method against fuel cell stack degradation caused by negative voltage operation.

Nanoscale architecture of (La0.6Sr1.4)0.95Mn0.9B0.1O4 (B[dbnd]Co, Ni, Cu) Ruddlesden–Popper oxides as efficient and durable catalysts for symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells

A-site deficient (La0.6Sr1.4)0.95Mn1-xBxO4 (x = 0, 0.1, B= Co, Ni, Cu) (LSMBO4) Ruddlesden–Popper oxides were demonstrated as promising symmetrical electrodes for Sc2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (SSZ) electrolyte supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The formation of oxygen vacancies is facilitated with the B-site transition metal doping. A-site defect promotes the exsolution of catalytic Co, Ni or Cu nanoparticles on the surface of materials in reducing atmosphere. The electrochemical performances in air and reducing atmosphere are significantly optimized via the substitution of Mn by Co, Ni or Cu and exsolved metallic nanoparticle catalysts. Especially, the materials doped by B-site with Cu shows the highest electrical conductivity of 37.54 S cm−1 and 6.82 S cm−1 and lowest polarization resistance of 0.12 Ω cm2 and 0.32 Ω cm2 at 750 °C in air and 5% H2/N2, respectively. The maximum power density of 623.1 mW cm−2 at 750 °C is achieved for an electrolyte-supported symmetrical single cell with the LSMBO4-SSZ composite electrode operating with pure H2. All these results indicate that LSMBO4 can be promising candidates for symmetric electrodes of SOFCs.

Comparison of electrolyte fabrication techniques on the performance of anode supported solid oxide fuel cells

A comparison of three solid oxide electrolyte fabrication processes, namely dip coating, screen printing and tape casting, for planar anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is presented in this study. The effect of sintering temperature (1325–1400 °C) is also examined. The anode and cathode layers of the anode-supported cells, on the other hand, are fabricated by tape casting and screen printing, respectively. The quality of the electrolytes is evaluated via performance measurements, impedance analyses and microstructural investigations of the cells. It is found that the density of the electrolyte increases with the sintering temperatures for all fabrication methods studied. The results also show that with the process and fabrication parameters considered in this study, both dip coating and screen printing do not yield a desired dense electrolyte structure as proven by open circuit potentials measured and SEM photos. The cells with tape cast electrolytes, on the other hand, provide the highest performances regardless of the electrolyte sintering and cell operating temperatures. The best peak performance of 0.924 W/cm2 is obtained from the cell with tape cast electrolyte sintered at 1400 °C. SEM investigations and measured open circuit potentials reveal that almost fully dense electrolyte layer can be obtained with a tape cast electrolyte particularly sintered at temperatures higher than 1350 °C. Impedance analyses indicate that the main reason behind the significantly higher performances is due to not only increased electrolyte density but a decrease in the interface resistance of the anode functional and electrolyte layer is also responsible. This can be explained by the load applied during the lamination step in the fabrication of the tape cast electrolyte, providing better powder compaction and adhesion.

An inverse-problem approach: Estimating multi-physiochemical properties of porous electrodes of single cell of a hydrogen-fueled solid oxide fuel cell by applying the pattern-search optimization to a pseudo-2D numerical model

This paper presents a systematic inverse approach to estimate the electrodes properties of a high-temperature anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) by applying the pattern search optimization algorithm to a pseudo-2D model. The paper uses a previously developed simplified pseudo-2D model of the SOFC to solve the forward problem and the root mean square value of the percentage errors in polarization current as its fitness function. Values of anodic reference exchange current density, cathodic reference exchange current density, anode effective porosity, and cathode effective porosity are estimated both separately and simultaneously. A sensitivity analysis of the effects of design variables on the polarization curve of the cell is presented, and the cell polarization curve is shown have low sensitivity to the anodic reference exchange current density. It is demonstrated that the inverse approach can be utilized to effectively estimate the electrodes microstructural properties with either no error, in the case of single-parameter estimation, or within an acceptable error band, for the case of multi-parameter estimation. The results for estimating multiple parameters indicate that the initial guess has significantly more effects on the estimation error of parameters to which the polarization curve has less sensitivity.

Steam effect on Gerischer impedance response of a Ni/GDC|YSZ|LSM fuel cell / anode

The electrochemical impedance response of an electrolyte supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) was studied for different compositions of feed in the anode compartment. The cell was composed of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), as electrolyte, and commercial Nickel/Gadolinium doped Ceria (Ni/GDC) cermet and Lanthanum Strontium Manganite (LSM), as anode and cathode electrodes, respectively. The impedance responses of the anode and cathode were deconvoluted using the analysis method of differences in the impedance spectra (ADIS). This allowed focusing on the electrochemical processes, which occur at the anode electrode and analyzing them adequately via equivalent electric circuit modelling. The main finding is that the Ni/GDC anode electrode exhibits a Gerischer impedance response, characteristic of chemical and electrochemical competing processes, which was associated with the formation of OHad− on GDC oxygen vacancies as the prevailing intermediate species for the electro-oxidation of H2 on Ni/GDC anode. It is shown that H2O plays a dominant role for the formation of the OHad− species on the GDC surface through its reaction with O2−, thus contributing autocatalytically on the promotion of H2 electro-oxidation on Ni/GDC anode.

Cobalt and molybdenum co-doped Ca2Fe2O5 cathode for solid oxide fuel cell

Recently, Brownmillerite oxides Ca2Fe2-xMxO5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) (M = transition metal such as Co, Mo), have been drawing attention as they possess mixed ionic and electronic conductivity. Fe site of parent Ca2Fe2O5 (CFO) structure is partially substituted by Co and/or Mo as well as CoMo co-doping and tested as cathodes in SOFC. Physical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) have been carried out to assess the phase formation, microstructure, presence of constituent elements, particle size, and surface area of the cathode, respectively. The Co doped CFO cathodes have better percolation, large surface area, and extended triple phase boundary. Further, the doped CFO cathodes exhibited chemical compatibility with other cell components during fabrication and cell testing as evident from SEM micrographs. The Ca2Fe2-xMxO5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) oxides show a semiconductor behaviour having sufficient electrical conductivity values in the SOFCs operating temperature 600–800 °C range. The best electrical conductivity, 0.47 S/cm at 800 °C and the corresponding activation energy of 0.17 eV is exhibited by Ca2Fe1.8Co0.2O5 (CFCO), whereas Ca2Fe1.8Mo0.2O5 (CFMO) and Ca2Fe1.8Mo0.1Co0.1O5 (CFMCO) cathode shows electrical conductivity 0.11 S/cm and 0.15 S/cm at 800 °C, respectively. CFMO performed better with SDC than YSZ electrolyte between 600 and 700 °C although the lowest area specific resistance (ASR) of 1.28 Ω cm2 at 800 °C is observed for CFMO with YSZ electrolyte. Similarly, CFMCO provided low ASR at lower temperature with SDC than that with YSZ electrolyte but exhibited lowest ASR of 0.41 Ω cm2 at 800 °C with YSZ. The CFCO cathode shows lower ASR with YSZ than that with SDC for all the temperature and provided lowest value of ASR 0.21 Ω cm2 at 800 °C. CFCO cathode has been tested in 900 μm thick electrolyte (SDC/YSZ) supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) CFCO-SDC/SDC/NiO-SDC and CFCO-YSZ/YSZ/NiO-YSZ provided maximum power densities of 171 and 506 mW/cm2 (i-R corrected) at 800 °C, respectively.

Preparation of thin electrolyte film via dry pressing/heating /quenching/calcining for electrolyte-supported SOFCs

The development of technologies used to prepare thin electrolyte films will stimulate the application of electrolyte-supported SOFCs since thin electrolyte films typically have low ohmic resistances and good electrochemical performance. This paper presents a novel method for the preparation of thin electrolyte films for yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) via dry pressing/heating/quenching/calcining. The thicknesses of the as-prepared YSZ films were as low as 78 μm, which is significantly thinner than those prepared using a traditional method (greater than 200 μm) via dry pressing/calcining/polishing. More importantly, the preparation process was quicker. Using this novel method, a YSZ-supported cell with a configuration of (La0.6Sr0.4)0.9Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (LSCF)–Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ(SDC)/SDC/YSZ/SDC/Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ(BSCF)–SDC was fabricated and tested. The results showed promising electrochemical performance and a peak power density of 0.64 W cm−2 at 850 °C was obtained, which was much higher than the cell fabricated using the traditional method (0.29 W cm−2). The ohmic resistance (RO) at 850 °C is 0.19 Ω cm2, which is much lower than that of the cell fabricated using the traditional method (0.33 Ω cm2) at an identical temperature. The modified method described in this work is shown to be a promising technique to prepare thin electrolyte films for high-performance, electrolyte-supported SOFCs.

Electrochemical property of multi-layer anode supported solid oxide fuel cell fabricated through sequential tape-casting and co-firing

In this work, a multi-layer anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is designed and successfully prepared through sequential tape casting and co-firing. The single cell is consisted of NiO-3YSZ (3YSZ: 3 mol.% yttria doped zirconia) anode support, NiO-8YSZ (8YSZ: 8 mol.% yttria stabilized zirconia) anode functional layer, dense 8YSZ electrolyte layer, and porous 3YSZ cathode scaffold layer with infiltrated La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathode. The clear interfaces and good contacts between each layer, without element inter-diffusion being observed, suggest that this sequential tape casting and co-firing is a feasible and successful route for anode supported single cell fabrication. This cell exhibits remarkable high open circuit voltage of 1.097 V at 800°C under room temperature humidified hydrogen, with highly dense and gastight electrolyte layer. It provides a power density of 360 mW/cm2 under operation voltage of 0.75 V at 800°C and a stable operation of ∼110 h at 750°C under current density of −300 mA/cm2. Furthermore, this cell also presents encouraging electrochemical responses under various anode hydrogen partial pressures and maintains high power output at low fuel concentrations.

Porous nickel-iron alloys as anode support for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells: II. Cell performance and stability

Porous nickel–iron alloy supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are fabricated through cost-effective ceramic process including tape casting, screen printing and co-sintering. The cell performance is characterized with humidified hydrogen as the fuel and flowing air as the oxidant. Effects of iron content on the cell performance and stability under redox and thermal cycle are investigated from the point of view of structural stability. Single cells supported by nickel and nickel–iron alloy (50 wt % iron) present relatively high discharge performance, and the maximum power density measured at 800 °C is 1.52 and 1.30 W cm−2 respectively. Nickel supported SOFC shows better thermal stability between 200 and 750 °C due to its dimensional stable substrate under thermal cycles. Posttest analysis shows that a dense iron oxide layer formed on the surface of the nickel-iron alloy during the early stage of oxidation, which prevents the further oxidation of the substrate as well as the functional anode layer, and thus, making nickel-iron supported SOFC exhibits better redox stability at 750 °C. Adding 0.5 wt % magnesium oxide into the nickel-iron alloy (50 wt% iron) can inhibit the metal sintering and reduce the linear shrinkage, making the single cell exhibit promising thermal stability.

Modifying the electrode-electrolyte interface of anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by laser-machining

The NiO-yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode substrates prepared by tape casting are modified via laser-machining technique in mesoscale for electrode-electrolyte interface modification. Two different surface processing methods are applied: (i) scanning the whole surface with continuous tracks to produce a “coarser” surface; (ii) engraving spots on the substrates surface forming “pits array”. The microstructure and electrical performance of the cells based on these anode substrates are investigated. For the scanned anode, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) images show that the surface roughness increases with the laser intensity. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of single cells show that electrode-electrolyte interface contact area is increased. Compared with the unmodified cell, the maximum power density of the cells fabricated with “coarser” anode substrates is improved by 47% at 800 °C. For the second case, the SEM images of cross-section of single cells show that the electrode-electrolyte interface is wavy, resulting increase in the electrochemically active area. It’s found that the degree of performance enhancement of the cells is related to the pits size, and a suitable diameter and depth of the pits are needed. The highest power density of the cells with “pits array” increases by 55% at 800 °C. In both cases, electrochemistry impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results show that ohmic and polarization resistances of single cells are decreased after modification.

Effect of nano-Al2O3 addition on mechanical durability of nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia anode support of solid oxide fuel cells

For anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), the strength and durability of the porous cermet support during long-term operation is critical for the reliability of the cells and stacks. The effect of adding nano-Al2O3 on the long-term durability of the mechanical strength of nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) based SOFC anode supports was investigated in this study. The SOFC anode support materials, Ni-3YSZ (3 mol% YSZ), Ni-8YSZ (8 mol% YSZ), and nano-Al2O3 added Ni-YSZ composites, were subjected to a long-term degradation test at 900 °C and 30% humidity in an H2 environment and after 1000 h exposure, the flexural strength, phase, and microstructural changes were analyzed. The results suggest that the addition of nano-Al2O3 to Ni-3YSZ improves the long-term strength and durability of the cermet while its addition to Ni-8YSZ cermet did not show any significant changes in the strength degradation behavior of the Ni-8YSZ based anode support. Further analysis by SEM and XRD shows that the tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation in partially stabilized zirconia was suppressed due to the addition of nano-Al2O3 in Ni-3YSZ resulting in improved long-term stability and higher mechanical strength. Replacing the Ni-8YSZ anode support with nano-Al2O3 added Ni-3YSZ might significantly reduce the material cost of SOFCs without compromising long-term strength durability, thus bringing SOFCs a step closer to commercialization.