Large Area High-Performance Thin Film Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Nanoscale Anode Functional Layer by Scalable...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Conversion

Background:

• High-performance thin-film solid oxide cells (TF-SOCs) require a nanostructured anode functional layer (n-AFL) to extend the triple-phase boundary (TPB), especially for low-temperature operation.
• Current n-AFL fabrication methods (>1 µm thickness) face challenges in large-scale production and productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a scalable fabrication method for n-AFL in TF-SOCs.
• To improve the performance of TF-SOCs through optimized n-AFL using reactive magnetron sputtering.
• To evaluate the performance of TF-SOCs with n-AFL in large-area applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of n-AFL using mass-production-compatible reactive magnetron sputtering.
• Optimization of n-AFL by adjusting oxygen partial pressure and sputtering power.
• Performance testing of TF-SOCs with and without n-AFL at 650 °C.

Main Results:

• Optimized n-AFL reduced ohmic and anodic polarization resistances by 63% and 34%, respectively.
• Maximum power density increased by 89% (1.333 W cm⁻² vs 0.705 W cm⁻²) at 650 °C.
• A large-scale (4 × 4 cm²) TF-SOFC with n-AFL achieved 19.4 W at 650 °C.

Conclusions:

• Reactive magnetron sputtering is a viable mass-production technique for n-AFL in TF-SOCs.
• The optimized n-AFL significantly enhances TF-SOC performance and power output.
• This approach enables efficient, large-area TF-SOCs for practical energy applications.