Low Temperature Ammonia Decomposition Catalyst and Its Application for Direct Ammonia-Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Ammonia regards as a promising alternative fuel for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) compare with hydrogen due to its low cost and ease for transportation and storage. Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) anode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is only active for ammonia decomposition at high temperatures, and Ni in the cermet anode would be nitridized under concentrated ammonia atmosphere that leads to undesirably degradation. Here we report a low-temperature ammonia decomposition catalyst, Ba modified Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ba-Ni/YSZ) is synthesized by a facile solid-liquid (SL) method. Enhanced performance can be obtained for Ba-Ni/YSZ compare with that of Ni/YSZ catalysts, indicating that the addition of Ba promotes the catalytic activity. Besides, the Ba-Ni/YSZ catalyst is introduced in the flat-tube SOFC, and significantly improves the electrochemical performance of directly ammonia-fed SOFCs at low temperatures.