Impact of Cofiring Ceria in Ni/YSZ SOFC Anodes for Operation With Syngas and n-Butane

This study explores cofiring ceria (CeO₂) with NiO and 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to form Ni-based cermet anodes for high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating on syngas and n-butane/steam fuel feeds. Particular attention is paid to the suppression of carbon deposit growth in Ni-based anodes with carbonaceous fuel feeds. CeO₂ was cofired with NiO and YSZ to form a porous Ni cermet anode support layer after reduction in H₂ at 800°C. The porous anode support layer (1 mm thick) was combined with a Ni/YSZ functional layer (∼25 μm thick), a dense YSZ electrolyte (10–20 μm thick), and porous La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO_3−x (LSM)/YSZ cathodes (∼50 μm thick) to form anode-supported button cells for electrochemical characterization. The button cells were tested from 700 °C to 800 °C on various fuels including syngas and n-butane/H₂O mixtures at steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratios of 1.0 and 1.5. Electrochemical testing revealed that CeO₂ addition provided stable performance at 800 °C without compromising power densities—up to 0.6 W/cm² on syngas and 0.35 W/cm² on direct butane feeds. Furthermore, the addition of CeO₂ suppressed significant carbon deposition as observed for Ni/YSZ anode support layers without CeO₂. Testing with syngas at different H₂ and CO partial pressures indicated that high power densities can be maintained along an anode channel for up to 50% fuel conversion. The results indicate that cofiring CeO₂ in Ni/YSZ anode support layers presents a viable option for stable SOFC operation on either prereformed or internally reformed light-hydrocarbon fuel feeds.