Electrochemical performance of gel-cast NiO–SDC composite anodes in low-temperature SOFCs

NiO–Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC) composites were synthesized using gel-casting technique. The electrochemical performance of the gel-cast (GC) Ni–SDC cermet as anode was investigated contrast with that fabricated from traditional mechanical mixing (MM) technique using fuel cells with about 35 μm-thick SDC electrolyte and Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3–SDC cathode. Maximum power density of the cell with GC anode achieved 491 mW cm−2 at 600 °C, over 100 mW cm−2 larger than that with MM anode, inferring high catalytic activity of the GC anode. Impedance measurements on the fuel cell at open circuit showed that the anodic interfacial polarization resistance of the GC anode was 0.1 Ω cm2 lower than that of the MM anode. Long-term stability of the cell with GC anode in hydrogen was also performed, which showed that it can stabilize at least 7 days.