CU-SDC Nanostructural Electrodes as Coking-Resistant Anodes for Intermediate-Temperature SOFCS

70695 Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems that operate at lower temperatures are currently receiving considerable attention. There are very strong manufacturing and operating ¿ hence economic ¿driving forces to get to so-called intermediate temperatures (550-800¿C). One of the major impediments in the development of intermediate temperature SOFCs is the lack of an anode material that can operate in natural gas without suffering from carbon build up due to catalytic cracking. This project will demonstrate a Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) process to fabricate Cu-samaria-doped ceria cermet anodes for intermediate temperature SOFCs in a single step process that is amenable to continuous production. Phase I will demonstrate the viability of CCVD to produce high surface area and controlled porosity Cu-(Ce0.8Sm0.2)O1.9 (Cu-SDC) and Sr0.5Sm0.5CoO3 (SSC) on a SDC electrolyte with power density higher than 400 mW/cm¿ at 600¿C. A materials characterization will be carried out and electrochemical measurements will be performed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new anode material should result in a low-cost fuel cell technology that, when used for power generation purposes, could potentially achieve at least three times greater fuel economy than conventional sources of energy (i.e. fossil fuels) with significantly reduced emissions.