NiO/ZrO2-CeO2 Anodes for Single-Chamber Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells Operating on Methane/Air Mixtures

Abstract

Single-chamber SOFCs have received much attention in recent years due to their simple design and low cost. In this work, we evaluated single-chamber SOFCs that operate in methane/air mixtures at high temperatures (900-1000{degree sign}C). YSZ was used as electrolyte, La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 as cathode, and NiO and NiO/ZrO2-50; 70 or 90 mol% CeO2 composites as anode. ZrO2-CeO2 solid solutions were previously characterized by several techniques and results of their structural and catalytic characterization are presented. Our results demonstrate that the incorporation of ZrO2-CeO2 catalysts in the anode significantly improves the performance of the cell.