Research Development on Novel Anode of Solid Oxide Direct Carbon Fuel Cells

Solid oxide direct carbon fuel cells (SO-DCFCs) can convert the chemical energy of the carbon fuel directly into electricity with high efficiency, wide fuel applicability and convenience for CO2 capture. SO-DCFCs show promising development in the situation that the energy and environmental issues become increasingly prominent. One of the key issues in SO-DCFC development is the anode which can accelerate carbon conversion, mass transportation within the electrode and impurities tolerance. This paper systematically summarized and analyzed the anode structural features, operating process, material characteristics of three types of SO-DCFC anode, including porous solid anode, molten carbonate anode and liquid metal anode. The liquid metal anode was particularly focused on due to its distinctive advantages in current collection, performance stability and the CO ratio in exhaust gas. Finally, the development trends of the anode for SO-DCFC in the future are discussed.