Effect of composite pore-former on the fabrication and performance of anode-supported membranes for SOFCs

In this investigation, a composite pore-former was developed to improve the properties of the NiO–YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) anode substrate for YSZ membrane used in SOFC. By utilizing the composite pore-former in the anode substrate, the requirements of both suitable shrinkage that was compatible with that of electrolyte films and rational porosity could be matched much better. The development of this composite pore-former composed of activated carbon and flour was based on the research about their characteristics as an individual pore-former, respectively, i.e., activated carbon affected the shrinkage of anode substrate more effectively comparing to the porosity, while flour could adjust the porosity more availably. A single fuel cell based on YSZ thin films was successfully fabricated using the anode with such composite pore-former. The open-circuit voltage (OCV) as high as 1.08 V was obtained at 700 °C, and the maximum power densities of 688 and 1122 mW/cm2 were achieved at 700 and 800 °C, respectively, using hydrogen as fuel and ambient air as oxidant.