High-Performance, Thermal Cycling Stable, Coking-Tolerant Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Nanostructured Electrodes

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising solution to a sustainable energy future. However, cell performance and stability remain a challenge. Durable, nanostructured electrodes fabricated via a simple, cost-effective method are an effective way to address these problems. In this work, both the nanostructured PrBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1.5Fe_0.5O_5+δ (PBSCF) cathode and Ni-Ce_0.8Sm_0.2O_1.9 (SDC) anode are fabricated on a porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) backbone via solution infiltration. Symmetrical cells with a configuration of PBSCF|YSZ|PBSCF show a low interfacial polarization resistance of 0.03 Ω cm² with minimal degradation at 700 °C for 600 h. Ni-SDC|YSZ|PBSCF single cells exhibit a peak power density of 0.62 W cm^-2 at 650 °C operated on H₂ with good thermal cycling stability for 110 h. Single cells also show excellent coking tolerance with stable operation on CH₄ for over 120 h. This work offers a promising pathway toward the development of high-performance and durable SOFCs to be powered by natural gas.