Modulating the structural stability of NiFe metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells

The adoption of oxide precursor substrate can simplify the preparation process and reduce the cost of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs). However, the drastic shrinkage of oxide substrate during reduction can cause structural damage of MS-SOFCs. Herein, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is incorporated to tailor the physical properties of NiFe substrate and structural stability of MS-SOFCs. The results show that the incorporation of YSZ phase leads to significantly suppressed sintering and grain growth during high temperature sintering and reduction processes as well as mitigated shrinkage of substrate and improved flatness of single cell during reduction process. The incorporation of YSZ phase also significantly enhances the mechanical strength and maintains acceptable electrical conductivity of the substrate. The single cell with the incorporation of 15 wt% YSZ phase into the NiFe substrate produces a peak power density of 1.02 W cm −2  at 750 °C with no noticeable degradation during the galvanostatic test at 650 °C for 100 h. The present work provides a new strategy for the development of a NiFe metal substrate for robust MS-SOFCs.