Nanostructured anode materials for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells: Synthesis and electrochemical characterizations

The present assets of fossil fuel-based energy resources are going to be end due to high consumption rate. These resources also are polluting the climate rapidly. With reference to these alarming situations, solid oxide fuel cells have got great attention in the field of energy conversion technologies due to their low emissions, fuel flexibility and higher efficiency characteristics. In the present investigation, two anode materials with compositions Al0.1Mn0.1Zn0.8O (AMZ) and Al0.1Mn0.1Ni0.1Zn0.7O (AMNZ) were prepared via solid state reaction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were accomplished to investigate the phase and surface morphology study of synthesized materials. The crystallite sizes of the prepared materials have been assessed using Scherer's formula and found to be 52 and 61 nm for AMZ and AMNZ, respectively. The conductivities of AMZ and AMNZ were obtained 4.4 and 5.2 S/cm, respectively at 650 degrees C. The activation energy was calculated by drawing Arrhenius plots. The prepared materials showed both ionic and electronic conduction behaviour as confirmed by electrochemical impedance measurements. The AMNZ composition has higher value of open circuit voltage (1.01 V) and power density (535 mW/cm(2)) in hydrogen atmosphere as compared with AMZ at 550 degrees C, which indicates that Ni contents in anode improvs the properties and can be considered as promising anode material at low temperature for fuel cell applications.