Anodes for Direct Oxidation of Dry Hydrocarbons in a Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell

The manufacture of fuel cells that can operate directly on various hydrocarbon fuels, without the need for reforming, has the potential of greatly speeding the application of fuel cells for transportation and distributed-power applications. This paper will briefly review the literature in this area and describe recent developments in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) that demonstrate that direct-oxidation fuel cells are possible with Cu-based anodes. A new method for synthesizing thin-electrolyte, anode-supported cells is described that is based on tape casting with graphite pore formers (see Figure), followed by impregnation with aqueous solutions of Cu(NO3)2 and Ce(NO3)3. The performance of model SOFCs for direct conversion of n-butane and methane is shown. Finally, future developments that are needed for this technology to be commercialized are discussed.