Nanocomposite Catalyst for High-Performance and Durable Intermediate-Temperature Methane-Fueled Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

CH₄-fueled metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (CH₄-MS-SOFCs) are propitious as CH₄is low-priced and readily available, and its renewable production is possible, such as biomethane. However, the current CH₄-MS-SOFCs suffer from either poor power density or short durable operation, which is ascribed to the low catalytic activity and poor coking tolerance of the metallic anode support. Herein, we have deliberately designed and synthesized a highly active nanocomposite catalyst, Sm-doped CeO₂-supported Ni, as the internal steam methane reforming catalyst, to optimize CH₄-MS-SOFCs. Both power densities and durability of optimized CH₄-MS-SOFCs have been dramatically enhanced compared to the pristine CH₄-MS-SOFCs. The optimized CH₄-MS-SOFCs deliver the highest performances among all zirconia-based CH₄-MS-SOFCs. Furthermore, the operating temperature has been reduced to 600 °C. At 600 °C, a viable peak power density of >350 mW/cm²is achieved, which is more than three times as high as the pristine CH₄-MS-SOFCs. Furthermore, the optimized CH₄-MS-SOFC achieves >1000 h of stable operation.