Advanced SOFC technologies for low carbon, energy efficient and affordable power

Conventional Ni-YSZ anodes have limitations with respect to their durability under real fuel environments. Some of the oxide anodes that are currently under investigation, such as the LSCM family of materials at St Andrews promise to give better tolerance to C-deposition and improved redox stability on cycling. However, their integration into the IP-SOFC has to take account of their lower electronic conductivity as well as the different ceramic processing requirements. Work in this package will seek to exploit the continuing advances in materials elsewhere and incorporate these in the IP-SOFC design. On the anode-side, oxides such as the lanthanum strontium chromite manganites, offer the potential to improve the durability of the anode towards sulphur and carbon-deposition and to improve its stability on redox cycling. This would have benefits in improving stack durability as well as potentially allowing a major simplification of the system. The project will seek to implement novel anode materials into the integrated planar design and to seek and develop new alternative materials for use as anodes and anodic current collection layers. Materials will be investigated by solid state techniques and processing optimised for screen printing to achieve integrated planar modules for performance testing in different fuels. Susceptibility to sulphur poisoning and hydrocarbon cracking will be investigated.