Progress in durability of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells with infiltrated electrodes

Dogdibegovic, Emir; Wang, Ruofan; Lau, Grace Y.; Karimaghaloo, Alireza; Lee, Min Hwan; Tucker, Michael C.

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.226935

Title: Progress in durability of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells with infiltrated electrodes

Journal Article · 29 July 2019 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.226935 · OSTI ID:1559252

Dogdibegovic, Emir ^[1];

^[1]; Lau, Grace Y. ^[1]; Karimaghaloo, Alireza ^[2];

^[2];

^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Div.
Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

High power density and longevity are required to commercialize solid oxide fuel cells for vehicular applications. In this work, electrochemical durability of high-performance metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) with infiltrated catalysts is investigated. Durability screening of various cathode and anode compositions is conducted. The Pr₆O₁₁ cathode and SDCN₄₀ (40 vol% Ni-60 vol% SDC) anode are selected due to preferential tradeoff between performance and durability. X-ray diffraction indicates the catalyst phases are stable after prolonged thermal annealing. Electrochemical impedance and scanning electron microscopy analyses show that the evolution of SDCN40 is minimal, and coarsening and Cr poisoning of the Pr₆O₁₁ catalyst are the dominant degradation mechanisms. These degradation mechanisms are addressed by implementing three additional fabrication steps: (1) preoxidation of the metal support, (2) deposition of thin and protective atomic layer deposition (ALD) coatings throughout the cathode-side electrode and support, and (3) in situ pre-coarsening of the catalysts. A favorable tradeoff is achieved: the combination of the three fabrication steps reduces degradation rate at 0.7 V and 700 °C by two orders of magnitude to 2.3% kh^-1, while sacrificing 35% of initial power density. The catalyst pre-coarsening step is primarily responsible for the loss of performance.

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