Rational Design of Sulfur-Tolerant Anode Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

The state-of-the-art nickel-yttria stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) cermet anodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are susceptible to poisoning by ppm-level sulfur contaminants (e. g., hydrogen sulfide, H2S) typically found in most hydrocarbon fuels, leading to severe performance loss or even cell failure. This problem calls for the development of new sulfur-tolerant anode materials for SOFC with high electrochemical activity. In light of such a research need and the "trial-and-error" nature of many previous studies in this area, this paper describes an effective approach to rational design of sulfur-tolerant anode materials for SOFC. First, our selection of potential sulfur-tolerant anode materials is guided by the insights about the sulfur poisoning mechanism of conventional Ni-YSZ cermet anodes. Further, thermochemical analysis and properly-designed experiments are used as a powerful tool to quickly screen and narrow down on candidates that are worth further investigations.