Performance and sulfur poisoning of Ni/CeO2 impregnated La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3−δ anode in solid oxide fuel cells

In this study, comparison experiments are conducted based on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte supported single solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with pure La0.75Sr0.25Cr0.5Mn0.5O3−δ (LSCrM) or Ni/CeO2 impregnated LSCrM anodes. The single cells are tested in dry H2 and H2/H2S (50 ppm) mixture, respectively. Compared with the pure LSCrM anode, the cell with Ni/CeO2 impregnated LSCrM presents a significant performance improvement when the pure H2 is fueled to the anode, and shows a good stability during a constant-current discharge testing (398 mA cm−2). When the fuel is switched to H2/H2S mixture, the cell with Ni/CeO2 impregnated LSCrM anode still shows a remarkable constant-current discharge (120 mA cm−2) performance compared with pure LSCrM anode. The Ni/CeO2 impregnation can improve the electrochemical performance of the LSCrM anode without any sacrifice of sulfur tolerance ability. The Ni/CeO2 impregnated LSCrM might be a potential anode material for solid oxide fuel cell operating in sulfur-containing fuels. The XRD and XPS results demonstrate that the anode poisoning product is composed of adsorbed sulfur, metal sulfides and sulfate radical. The mass spectrum result confirms that the poisoning mechanism involves the reaction of sulfur with anode rather than the direct reaction between H2S gas and anode.