Fuel flexibility: A key challenge for SOFC technology

This study deals with an investigation of the direct oxidation of organic fuels with different molecular weights in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). It aims to demonstrate that the final products of the oxidation process are essentially CO2 and water with a very low amount of secondary products. An anodic catalyst formulation characterized by mixed electronic–ionic conductivity (MIEC) in combination with ceria electrolyte was used for this purpose. The anodic catalyst consisted in a composite Ni-modified perovskite mixed with Ce0.9Gd0.1O2. It provided reasonable fuel flexibility in SOFCs. To get insight into the reaction mechanism, the same anode formulation was investigated in an ex-situ autothermal reforming test. The performances achieved with the direct utilization of both gaseous and liquid fuels appear promising for SOFC applications in remote and micro-distributed energy generation as well as for portable power sources. The anode layer demonstrated stable performance with very low amount of carbon deposition during more than 130 h testing under a direct utilization mode of dry organic fuels.