MnO-Co composite modified Ni-SDC anode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

•The MnO-Co modified anode exhibits much higher peak power densities.•The polarization resistance of modified anode is lower than the original anode.•The porosity of modified anode is higher than the unmodified anode.•The stability of modified anode is worse than the original one in dry methane.

MnO-Co composite was employed to modify a Ni-Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 − x anode. The electrochemical performance of the MnO-Co modified anode was evaluated on an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell in dry hydrogen and dry methane, separately. The modified anode exhibited much higher peak power density in H2 compared with the original anode at the same condition. For example, the peak power density by the modified anode was 1756 mW cm− 2 at 700 °C, compared with 1322 mW cm− 2 by the original anode at the same temperature. The higher peak power density of modified anode was attributed to its much lower polarization resistance and relatively higher porosity. However, it showed a worse stability than the unmodified anode in dry methane at 650 °C due to severer carbon deposition.