Evaluating sulfur-tolerance of metal/Ce_0.80Gd_0.20O_1.90 co-impregnated La_0.20Sr_0.25Ca_0.45TiO₃ anodes for solid oxide fuel cells

The Ni-based cermet Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode is prone to poisoning by sulfur-based odourising agents, and naturally occurring sulfur species, present in unprocessed natural gas feeds. Next generation SOFC anodes should be able to withstand exposure to these poisons in the event of a malfunction or breakdown of desulfurisation units. Here, we present results pertaining to the sulfur-tolerance of Ni/Ce_0.80Gd_0.20O_1.90 (CGO), Pt/CGO and Rh/CGO co-impregnated La_0.20Sr_0.25Ca_0.45TiO₃ anode ‘backbone’ microstructures and their ability to recover performance after being exposed to H₂S. The Ni/CGO co-impregnated system exhibited severe poisoning by H₂S, however, the Rh/CGO system displayed good stability in Area Specific Resistance (ASR) upon introduction of 1–2 ppm of H₂S and the Pt/CGO system showed minimal increases in ASR with the addition of 1–8 ppm H₂S. Recovery measurements performed in non-humidified H₂ at 300 mA cm⁻², after exposure to 8 ppm H₂S, indicated that the Pt/CGO and Rh/CGO systems could recover within 10 min, whilst 60 min were required to achieve almost a full recovery of performance for the Ni/CGO system. Additionally, all three impregnate systems showed good stability in operating voltage, after an initial drop, in a fuel gas containing simulated syngas (2:1 H₂:CO) with 8 ppm H₂S.