Efficient and stable iron based perovskite La0.9Ca0.1Fe0.9Nb0.1O3-δ anode material for solid oxide fuel cells

A novel La 0.9 Ca 0.1 Fe 0.9 Nb 0.1 O 3-δ (LCFNb) perovskite for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) anode is prepared by means of the citrate-nitrate route and composited with Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 1.9 (SDC) by impregnation method to form nano-scaled LCFNb/SDC anode catalytic layers. The single cells with LCFNb and LCFNb/SDC impregnated anodes both achieve relatively high power output with maximum power densities (MPDs) reaching up to 610, 823 mW·cm −2 in H 2 at 800 °C, respectively, presenting a high potential of LCFNb for use as SOFCs anode. The power outputs of the single cells with LCFNb/SDC composite anode in CO and syngas (CO H 2 mixture) are almost identical to that in H 2 at each testing temperature. This composite anode also presents excellent durability in both H 2 and CO for as long as 50 h, showing desirable anti-reduction and carbon deposition resistance abilities. Besides, the cell output is stable in 100 ppm H 2 S H 2 atmospheres for 20 h at a current density of 600 mA·cm −2 with negligible sulfur accumulation on the anode surface . Hence, a novel iron based perovskite LCFNb anode with remarkable cell performance, carbon deposition resistance and sulfur poisoning tolerance for SOFCs is successfully obtained.