The direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell with H2 and H2O feeds

•Introducing 3 mol% H2 to C-SOFC enhanced the electrochemical oxidation of carbon.•C-SOFC performance increased by the utilization of H2/CO from carbon/H2O reactions.•C-SOFC with the Ni/YSZ anode produced CO as a major product.

The performance of the direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (C-SOFC) with a Ni/YSZ anode has been studied with a 50 mol% H2, 3 mol% H2, and 7 mol% H2O feed at 750 °C. The electricity generation was dominated by consumption of H2 fuel at 50 mol% H2 and by carbon at 3 mol% H2. The low (3 mol%) H2 kept the Ni/YSZ anode in reduced state, enhancing its electrochemical oxidation activities. Introducing 7 mol% H2O initiated the water reaction with carbon to produce H2 and CO that could serve as a fuel for further reactions in anode interlayer, exhibiting a decrease in the overall Faraday resistance of the C-SOFC.

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