Performance of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell using novel ceria electrolyte

The potential of a novel co-doped ceria material Sm0.075Nd0.075Ce0.85O2−δ as an electrolyte was investigated under fuel cell operating conditions. Conventional colloidal processing was used to deposit a dense layer of Sm0.075Nd0.075Ce0.85O2−δ (thickness 10 μm) over a porous Ni-gadolinia doped ceria anode. The current–voltage performance of the cell was measured at intermediate temperatures with 90 cm3 min−1 of air and wet hydrogen flowing on cathode and anode sides, respectively. At 650 °C, the maximum power density of the cell reached an exceptionally high value of 1.43 W cm−2, with an area specific resistance of 0.105 Ω cm2. Impedance measurements show that the power density decrease with decrease in temperature is mainly due to the increase in electrode resistance. The results confirm that Sm0.075Nd0.075Ce0.85O2−δ is a promising alternative electrolyte for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells.