Improved microstructure and performance of Ni-based anode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Three kinds of anodes prepared by NiO impregnation, (Ni, Mg)O impregnation and conventional sintering methods are investigated under the conditions of anodic current polarization and redox cycling. The optimized NiO loading in the NiO-impregnated anode is 40 wt%; and the minimum polarization resistance is 1.40, 0.71 and 0.60 Ω cm² at 700, 750 and 800 C, respectively, due to the increased triple phase boundary and conductivity that promote the charge-transfer process of H₂ oxidation reaction. The conventional Ni-YSZ cermet anode is less sensitive to the current polarization at 200 mA cm^-2; however, its polarization resistance is much higher than those of the impregnated anodes. (Ni, Mg)O impregnation improves the performance durability and redox-ability at 800 C, with a low polarization resistance of 0.93 Ω cm² after 48 h of current polarization and of 0.71 Ω cm² after 10 redox cycles. The addition of Mg lowers the reducibility of (Ni, Mg)O particles; and its improved electrochemical performance and redox cycling resistance are attributed to its stabilized microstructure consisting of nano-scale Ni particles distributed on the surface of the pre-sintered YSZ scaffold. The agglomeration of fine Ni particles is suppressed by the unreduced (Ni, Mg)O in the anode.