| A priority for research in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is to develop cells that can maintain adequate performance in sulfur-containing fuel streams. There has been evidence that cerium oxide in the anode or electrolyte is associated with sulfur tolerance of the cell, but the mechanism underlying this effect is not well understood.;The objective of the present research is to show that the porous cermet SOFC anodes can be coated with cerium oxide films, so that the cell performance can be evaluated as a function of the anode structure and the microstructure of the film. Three types of anodes---Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), Ni/gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC), and Ni/GDC with GDC interlayer were infiltrated with an aqueous solution to deposit nanocrystalline ceria films. The cells were then tested in hydrogen/nitrogen fuel containing hydrogen sulfide at levels up to 500 ppm. Modification of the anodes with thiol-terminated and trichlorosilane-terminated surfactants was explored. Different ceria film morphology was achieved for each surface treatment. In the cells that underwent performance testing, the thiol treatment promoted ceria film deposition, while the sulfonate treatment suppressed ceria deposition. Uniform ceria films up to 100 nm thick could be deposited in 48 h.;Results on cell testing conditions, e.g. current, time, and H2S exposure were related to different anode structures and ceria coating morphologies. In general, the Ni/GDC anodes showed better performance than the Ni/YSZ anode. The introduction of ceria films often resulted in higher cell current and longer testing time, including operation under H2S exposure.;Post-testing characterization revealed that, for some anodes, microstructure changes such as coarsening of Ni in the anode, migration of Ni to the anode surface, and depletion of Ni occurred. These changes in microstructure were irreversible and might account for permanent loss of cell performance. The presence of ceria films delayed these microstructure changes. The more ceria coating, the greater was its inhibitory effect. As a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, ceria can also increase the effective triple-phase boundary region, which in turn may have contributed to the improved cell performance. No specific microstructure change could be attributed exclusively to a sulfur-anode interaction. |
