Ethanol Fuelled SOFC with ZnO Addition in the Anode

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has attracted a great deal of attention due to its high efficiency and variety of usable fuels like hydrocarbons or alcohols. In this work, aiming at the use of carbon-containing fuels in SOFC, ZnO was added to the SOFC anode ceramic-metal composite yttria-stabilized zirconia/nickel (YSZ/Ni) in a wide range of relative compositions. Apparent density measurements confirmed that ZnO is a sintering aid for YSZ matrix. X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of YSZ, Ni, ZnO and NiO phases in all samples. The impedance analysis shows that higher the ZnO concentration, until 50 % vol., lower the electrical resistance of the samples. The single cells preliminary experiments suggest higher efficiency of ethanol fuelled SOFCs with YSZ/Ni/ZnO anode. Further experiments using doped-ceria instead of YSZ will be accomplished to enhance the SOFC performance at temperatures as low as 500°C