Effect of anode microstructure on the performance of micro tubular SOFCs

Here we report the effect of anode microstructure on the SOFC performance using two types of micro tubular SOFCs, 0.8 and 1.6mm in diameter with different anode microstructure (Cells A and B). The cells consisted of NiO-Gd doped ceria (GDC) as an anode (support tube), GDC as an electrolyte and (La, Sr)(Fe, Co)O₃ (LSCF)-GDC as a cathode. The anode tube for Cell A was prepared using NiO (d_g~ 5µm) and GDC (d_g~ 0.2µm) powders without using a pore former, while the anode tube for Cell B was prepared using NiO (d_g~ 0.5µm)and GDC(d_g~ 0.2µm) powders using a pore former. The peak power density of these cells were shown to be 203, 400 and 857mW cm^{? 2} for Cell A and 273, 628 and 1017mW cm^{? 2} for Cell B, respectively at 450, 500, and 550°C operating temperature. Both cells showed outstanding performance, and furthermore the anode microstructure of Cell B was shown to be more optimized for better cell performance.