Investigating the Catalytic Requirements of Perovskite Fuel Electrodes Using Ultra-Low Metal Loadings

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) with La0.3Sr0.7TiO3 (LST)–yttria-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) anodes were prepared by impregnation of LST into porous YSZ scaffolds and then modified by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Ni, Pt, Pd, Fe, Co. and CeO2. Weight loadings as low as 0.01% of Pt, Ni, and Pd were sufficient to decrease anode impedances by orders of magnitude for operation in humidified H2 at 973 K. The effects of CeO2, Co, and Fe were less but still significant. Sintering at higher temperatures was important. Possible ways of stabilizing the metal particles and implications for developing ceramic anodes are discussed.