The study of portable direct-flame solid oxide fuel cell (DF-SOFC) stack with butane fuel

In this study, a portable direct-flame solid oxide fuel cell (DF-SOFC) stack has been demonstrated using the conventional butane gas as fuel. The stack is constructed by bundles of the 3 single cells in a series with conventional Ni/YSZ anode. The fuel cell structure and performance are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical workstation, respectively. The results show that the stack presents an open circuit voltage (OCV) of about 2.1 V and an output power of 0.24 W, which powers an USB fan in 4 h. The cell voltage is quite stable for 4 h, moreover, no carbon deposition is found in the anode layer. This indicates that the DF-SOFC stack can be used for portable applications.