Novel anode current collector for hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel cells

The current collector is one of the essential and critical components for reliable operation of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Here a novel anode current collector is proposed to enhance the electrochemical performance stability of the anode supported cell operated under hydrocarbon fuel. A scandium modified nickel fiber felt (Sc: Ni-felt), and a pristine nickel felt (Ni-felt) are employed as the anode current collector to evaluate and compare the electrochemical performance and long-term stability under humidified methane. The maximum power densities of the cell measured using the Sc: Ni-felt current collector are 679, 528, and 389 mW cm⁻² at 800, 750, and 700 °C, respectively, under humidified CH₄. A significant improvement of ca. 19%, 24%, and 28% in the power density is recorded compared to the cell tested with Ni-felt. A load of 625 mA cm⁻² is applied to investigate the long-term stability of both cells. The cell with the novel current collector exhibits excellent stability after 50 h, while the cell tested with Ni-felt gets deteriorated with time under the same operating condition. Finally, the electrochemical impedance analysis under a constant load has been carried out to evaluate the effect of the Sc: Ni current collector on the electrochemical performance and stability of the cell.