CO2 Poisoning of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes: Mechanisms, Solutions, and Progress

Conventional energy resources have been constrained by their inefficient utilization and present a severe impact on the human living environment, and there is an urgent need to develop energy technologies with high efficiency, low carbon emissions, and environmental cleanliness. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been recognized as a highly efficient and clean energy conversion device that directly converts chemical energy in fuels into electricity, holding promising prospects for addressing the issues of low efficiency and environmental concerns associated with conventional energy resources. However, under practical operation conditions, the cathodes of SOFCs are often exposed to various contaminations including working environment-induced degradation, cathode poisoning, and corrosion. This review summarizes the severe performance degradation of SOFC cathodes caused by CO2 poisoning, analyzes recent research findings on cathode durability under CO2-containing atmospheres, and provides an overview of the reported strategies for enhancing CO2 tolerance.