Improved cell performance and sulphur tolerance using A-site substituted Sr2Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-delta anodes for solid-oxide fuel cells

摘要

Solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer great promise for producing electricity using a wide variety of fuels such as natural gas, coal gas and gasified carbonaceous solids; however, conventional nickel-based anodes face great challenges due to contaminants in readily available fuels, especially sulphur-containing compounds. Thus, the development of new anode materials that can suppress sulphur poisoning is crucial to the realization of fuel-flexible and cost-effective SOFCs. In this work, La0.1Sr1.9Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-delta (LSFNM) and Pr0.1Sr1.9Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-delta (PSFNM) materials have been synthesized using a sol-gel method in air and investigated as anode materials for SOFCs. Metallic nanoparticle-decorated ceramic anodes were obtained by the reduction of LSFNM and PSFNM in H-2 at 850 degrees C, forming a Ruddlesden-Popper oxide with exsolved FeNi3 bimetallic nanoparticles. The electrochemical performance of the Sr2Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-delta ceramic anode was greatly enhanced by La doping of A-sites, resulting in a 44 decrease in the polarization resistance in reducing atmosphere. The maximum power densities of Sr- and Mg-doped LaGaO3 (LSGM) (300 mu m) electrolyte-supported single cells with LSFNM as the anode reached 1.371 W cm( -2) in H-2 and 1.306 W cm(-2) in 50 ppm H2S-H-2 at 850 degrees C. Meanwhile, PSFNM showed improved sulphur tolerance, which could be fully recovered after six cycles from H-2 to 50 ppm H2S-H-2 operation. This study indicates that LSFNM and PSFNM are promising high-performance anodes for SOFCs. In this work materials are synthesized using a sol-gel method in air and investigated as anode materials in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The electrochemical performance and sulphur tolerance of the anode materials show promise for improving the performance of SOFCs.