Preparation And Performance Of Anode Materials Ni-SDC And Cu-SDC For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Fuel cells are a device that can convert energy with high efficiency and low pollution. They are also called cells because they are composed of cathode,anode and electrolyte sandwiched by them, which are the same with the traditional cell, But they produce electricity by electrochemical combination of fuel gas (e.g. hydrogen) with oxidant gas (e.g. oxygen), which differs from the traditional cell used to reserve energy. So they can also be looked as a generator with an electrochemical process. But compared with the conventional generator whose efficiency of producing electricity, they are not subject to the Cannot limitation, they convert the chemical energy directly to electrical energy without intermediate of thermal energy and have excellent energy conversion efficiency as a result. In addition to high efficiency and low emissions, they have also several other advantages such as modular and distributed nature, and much lower production of pollutants. Since fuel cells just have these advantages, they will play an essential role in any future hydrogen fuel economy.As the fourth generation fuel cell, SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) has many outstanding advantages, which is better than other fuel cells. Firstly, equipped with all solid components, it eliminates the problems that liquid electrolyte fuel cell faces, such as corrosion and leakage of liquid electrolytes. Secondly, operating at high temperatures, its electrode reaction is so fast that it is unnecessary to use noble metals as electrodes. Thus the cost of the cells can be minimized. At the same time, the high quality heat it emits can be fully used. The overall energy conversion efficiency of the thermal-electric system can be added up to 80%. The most outstanding advantage of SOFC is that it uses a large scale of fuels, from the hydrogen, carbon monoxide to the natural gas or even other combustive gases. Currently the main difficulty that the SOFC faces is the problem caused by high temperature and the ceramic components match.Decreasing the operating temperature of SOFCs down to intermediate range(600～800oC),which is desirable due to important economical and technological advantages, requires optimization of the anode composition and microstructure in order to achieve sufficiently high performance in the intermediate temperaturature range.The microstructure design and the material system of the anode are varied currently. A great deal of research work still concentrated be passing an adoption to synthesize the method improvement beginning to start the powder body facial look lately, then excellent turn the microstructure of the anode, perhaps the increment mix the conductor middle layer to reduce the interface electric resistance of the anode and electrolyte between the anode and the electrolyte layer, letting up anode to turn very much, arrestment anode and the electrolyte material of reaction. For example pass to co-precipitation process, glycine- nitrate method, sol-gel method etc. The one step synthesize the NiO-YSZ or the NiO-SDC compound powder body, doing anode with this kind of material, the microstructure that discovers anode improved very greatly.The material system aspect, GORTE etc. is after the body of YSZ convenient Cu replaces Ni, after of in the Ni-YSZ anode material equal battery function. The Cu-YSZ anode function is stable, the life span extension, the Cu-YSZ metals ceramics anode function is steady after 800oC work a week constant. The reason is the Cu to be sloth more than the Ni, the YSZ stability of the Cu is an anode to the methane fuel, not easy formation carbon deposition. Join the function that the CeO2 can improve above- mentioned material effectively in the Cu-YSZ.This text uses the sol-gel method to synthesize NiO, SDC anode material. Wased fired in different temperature, the Ni-SDC compound anode was prep -rated by machine mixture method again, measured to compare the function of the sample also. Express as a result that use the electrode that the powder that was prepared to burn in 400 oC, because of the grain size is smaller, promote grain get in touch with, increase three mutually interface, express the best function. At 600 oC, the electric conduct- tivity rate is a 4155scm^-1. At 700oC the electric current density is 1.5 Acm-2 and overpotential is 0.12V.Make use of the glycine- nitrate method synthesized the series anode material of Cu .The test compared the function of the Cu-SDC and the Cu-CeO₂-SDC anode material also. The function of the result enunciation Cu-Ce₂-SDC anode material surpasses the Cu-SDC anode material, reason is CeO2 rightness of anode reaction of batteries contain better catalyst function, raising the function of the battery. Have already made the Cu -Ni-CeO₂-SDC and the Cu-Co-CeO2-SDC anode material combine as to it's the function carried on a test in the top of this foundation, the result enunciation contained the function of the anode material that bimetallic anode material has the better than one metals, this anode material contain good development potential.