Recent developments in material science and technology for solid oxide fuel cells

摘要

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are presently under development for a variety of power generation applications. The key features of the SOFC include all solid-state material construction and operation at high temperatures (800° to 1000 °C). SOFCs can be configured into small lightweight and compact devices or integrated with a gas turbine to form large hybrid power generation systems. In the past few years, several significant developments have taken place in the area of material science and technology for SOFCs. These developments include (i) advances in the development of low-temperature (600° to 800 °C) electrolytes, (ii) demonstration of various fabrication'processing techniques for making thin-film electrolytes, (iii) engineering of cathode microstructures to demonstrate low polarization at reduced temperatures, and (iv) development of SOFC anodes for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels. This paper reviews recent developments in material science and engineering of the SOFC and discusses their impact on the technology.