Effect of nickel impregnated hollow fiber anode for micro tubular solid oxide fuel cells

A micro tubular solid oxide fuel cells (MT-SOFCs) with a cell configuration of Ni impregnated Ni-Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 (GDC)/GDC/La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ (LSCF)-GDC has been prepared by the phase inversion and impregnation technique. A special asymmetrical structure consisting of a sponge-like layer and a finger-like porous layer for hollow fiber anode is obtained by the phase inversion. Fine Ni specie particles are then coated on the surface of anode using impregnation method. The enhancement in electronic conductivity of anode by Ni modification is beneficial to current collection of MT-SOFCs. Meanwhile, the catalytic activity of anode is also improved due to the introduction of Ni nano-particles. Thus, the Ni modified MT-SOFCs exhibit high power densities, such as 0.69 W cm−2 at 600 °C. The encouraging results demonstrate that the Ni impregnation is an effective way to improve anode microstructure of MT-SOFCs.