Impact of nanostructured anode on low-temperature performance of thin-film-based anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

The impact of a nanostructured Ni–yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni–YSZ) anode on low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) performance is investigated. By modifying processing techniques for the anode support, anode-supported SOFCs based on thin-film (∼1 μm) electrolytes (TF-SOFCs) with and without the nanostructured Ni–YSZ (grain size ∼100 nm) anode are fabricated and a direct comparison of the TF-SOFCs to reveal the role of the nanostructured anode at low temperature is made. The cell performance of the nanostructured Ni–YSZ anode significantly increases as compared to that of the cell without it, especially at low temperatures (500 °C). The electrochemical analyses confirm that increasing the triple-phase boundary (TPB) density near the electrolyte and anode interface by the particle-size reduction of the anode increases the number of sites available for charge transfer. Thus, the nanostructured anode not only secures the structural integrity of the thin-film components over it, it is also essential for lowering the operating temperature of the TF-SOFC. Although it is widely considered that the cathode is the main factor that determines the performance of LT-SOFCs, this study directly proves that anode performance also significantly affects the low-temperature performance.