Cu-Ce0.8sm0.2o2-Delta Anode For Electrochemical Oxidation Of Methanol In Solid Oxide Fuel Cell: Improved Activity By La And Nd Doping

Cu-Ce0.8La0.1Sm0.1O2-delta and Cu-Ce0.8Nd0.1Sm0.1O2-delta are studied as anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells with methanol as fuel. The oxygen surface exchange and bulk diffusion coefficients of Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-delta both increase with La and Nd doping. The CH3OH temperature-programmed surface reaction results show that the addition of La and Nd accelerates the chemical oxidation of CH3OH. Furthermore, compared with Cu-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-delta, the anodes with La and Nd show higher resistance to coking in CH3OH atmosphere. The Cu-based cermet anode exhibits a low catalytic activity for the electrochemical oxidation of H-2, and a single cell supported by a Cu-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-delta -carbonate composite electrolyte with Cu-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-delta anode exhibits a maximum power density of 160 mW cm(-2) at 650 degrees C using dry hydrogen as fuel. However, the maximum power density reaches 550 mW cm(-2) when CH3OH is used as fuel, and further increases to 730 and 830 mW cm(-2) with the addition of La and Nd in the anode, respectively. The results indicate that with the promotion of the oxygen activity, the Cu-based cermet is a promising anode material for solid oxide fuel cells using CH3OH as fuel.