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Activating and stabilizing the surface of anode for high-performing direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells

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Abstract

Ammonia has been recognized as a promising fuel for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) because of its relatively high hydrogen content and high energy density. However, the effective catalysis of ammonia on the surface of state-of-the-art anode greatly hinders the further development of direct ammonia SOFCs. In this study, we report our findings of surface activating and stabilizing of a Ni-based cermet anode for highly efficient and durable operation on ammonia fuel, achieved by a surface coating of CeO2−δ nanoparticles (NPs). When incorporated into a Ni-yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode-supported single cell, the coatings demonstrate an improved electrochemical reaction activity and stability, achieving a high peak power density of 0.941 W·cm−2 at 700 °C, and a promising stability of ∼ 60 h (degradation rate of 0.127% h−1 at 0.5 A·cm−2), much better than those of cells with a bare anode (∼ 0.673 W·cm−2 and degradation rate of 0.294% h−1 at 0.5 A·cm−2). The catalytic NPs significantly enhance the reaction activity toward the decomposition of ammonia and oxidation of hydrogen, especially at low temperatures (< 700 °C), as confirmed by the detailed distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analyses of the impedance spectra of the cells on NH3 fuel.

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Acknowledgement

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22179039 and 22005105), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 2021A1515010395), and the Pearl River Talent Recruitment Program (Nos. 2019QN01C693 and2021ZT09L392).

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  1. School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Kang Xu, Feng Zhu, Mingyang Hou, Canan Li, Hua Zhang & Yu Chen

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  1. Kang Xu
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  2. Feng Zhu
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Correspondence to Yu Chen.

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Xu, K., Zhu, F., Hou, M. et al. Activating and stabilizing the surface of anode for high-performing direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells. Nano Res. 16, 2454–2462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4993-z

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