Cobalt Alloying Effect on Improvement of Ni/YSZ Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Operating with Dry Methane

Although the cermet consisting of nickel and zirconia is useful as the solid oxide fuel cell anode, the conventional cermet consisting of nickel and yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) is prone to be deactivated for a direct supply of hydrocarbon fuels. This paper describes a method to retard the deactivation of the Ni/YSZ-based cermet anode by being modified with appropriate incorporation of Co as the alloying element into Ni. The single-type anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) consisting of the Ni0.75Co0.25/YSZ cermet anode, YSZ film electrolyte, and La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 cathode exhibited a prolonged stable SOFC performance at 750°C for dry methane (CH4) feeding compared to the one using the Ni/YSZ anode. The microstructural modification of the cermet anode caused a carbon tolerance effect against CH4 accompanied by a low anodic polarization resistance.