Cu-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ anode for electrochemical oxidation of methanol in solid oxide fuel cell: Improved activity by La and Nd doping

Abstract

Cu–Ce0.8La0.1Sm0.1O2-δ and Cu–Ce0.8Nd0.1Sm0.1O2-δ are studied as anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells with methanol as fuel. The oxygen surface exchange and bulk diffusion coefficients of Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ both increase with La and Nd doping. The CH3OH temperature-programmed surface reaction results show that the addition of La and Nd accelerates the chemical oxidation of CH3OH. Furthermore, compared with Cu–Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ, the anodes with La and Nd show higher resistance to coking in CH3OH atmosphere. The Cu-based cermet anode exhibits a low catalytic activity for the electrochemical oxidation of H2, and a single cell supported by a Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ‑carbonate composite electrolyte with Cu–Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ anode exhibits a maximum power density of 160 mW cm−2 at 650 °C using dry hydrogen as fuel. However, the maximum power density reaches 550 mW cm−2 when CH3OH is used as fuel, and further increases to 730 and 830 mW cm−2 with the addition of La and Nd in the anode, respectively. The results indicate that with the promotion of the oxygen activity, the Cu-based cermet is a promising anode material for solid oxide fuel cells using CH3OH as fuel.