Development and optimisation of electrode materials in solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an all solid electrochemical device to convert fuels such as hydrogen and natural gas to electricity with high efficiency and very low greenhouse gas emission compared to traditional thermal power generation plants. Moreover, the reliability and efficiency of SOFC is critically dependent on the performance and stability of its components including anode, cathode and electrolyte. This in turn is largely dependent on the material selection and the fabrication processes. In this paper, specific examples are given to demonstrate strategy and process in the development and optimisation of electrode materials such as Ni/Y 2O 3 ZrO 2 cermet anodes and (LaSr)MnO 3 based cathodes. The results also demonstrate the importance of fabrication processes and that the understanding of the electrode process plays a very important role in the optimisation process of electrode materials.