H ₂ and CH ₄ oxidation on Gd _0.2Ce _0.8O _1.9 infiltrated SrMoO ₃-yttria-stabilized zirconia anode for solid oxide fuel cells

Strontium molybdate (SrMoO ₃) as an electronic conductor was incorporated with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to form an anode scaffold for solid oxide fuel cells. Gd _0.2Ce _0.8O _1.9 (GDC) nanoparticles were introduced by wet impregnation to complete the Ni-free GDC infiltrated SrMoO ₃-YSZ anode fabrication. The effects of SrMoO ₃ on the electrode conductivity and GDC infiltration on the catalytic activity were examined. A pronounced performance improvement was observed both on wet H ₂ and CH ₄ oxidation for the 56 wt.% GDC infiltrated SrMoO ₃-YSZ. In particular, the polarization resistance decreased from 8 Ω cm ² to 0.5 Ω cm ² under wet H ₂ (3% H ₂O) at 800 °C with the introduction of GDC. Under wet CH ₄ at 900 °C, a maximum power density of 160 mW cm ^-2 was obtained and no carbon deposition was observed on the anode. It was found that the addition of H ₂O in the anode caused an increase of electrode ohmic resistance and a decrease of open circuit voltage. Redox cycling stability was investigated and only a slight drop in cell performance was observed after 5 cycles. These results suggest that GDC infiltrated SrMoO ₃-YSZ is a promising anode material for solid oxide fuel cells. Copyright © 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.