Effects of Metal Additives on Power Generating Property of Direct Hydrocarbon Type SOFC Using LaGaO3 Electrolyte

Composite oxides have been attracting great interest recently as alternative materials for SOFC anodes with the potential to overcome the serious deterioration in performance associated with the traditional Ni-based cermet; in particular, oxide based anodes show enhanced carbon coke and re-oxidation tolerance compared to present Ni-based cermets. In this study, the anodic performance of a (Ce,Mn,Fe)O2/(La,Sr)(Fe,Mn)O3 composite oxide with additions of catalytically active RuO2 nano particle was studied. Fairly high maximum power densities of 0.3 Wcm-2 (in H2) and 1.5 Wcm-2 (in C3H8) at 800 oC were achieved for anodes with 10 wt% RuO2 addition. The cells showed stable power density, and negligible carbon formation, even after operation for more than 50 h at 1Acm-2. The improved power density was explained by decreased anodic overpotential and IR losses because of the improved electrical conductivity contributed by the RuO2 particles