A high-performance intermediate-to-low temperature protonic ceramic fuel cell with in-situ exsolved nickel nanoparticles in the anode

Abstract Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) show great potential in terms of lowering the operation temperature and overall cost of solid oxide fuel cells based on the high ionic conductivity and low activation energy of proton-conducting electrolytes in intermediate or low temperature environments. However, a significant reduction in anode activity with decreasing temperature hinders the broad application of PCFCs. In this study, a novel anode material Ni–Ba0.96(Ce0.66Zr0.1Y0.2Ni0.04)O3-δ (Ni-BCZNY) with in-situ exsolved Ni nanoparticles is developed. This material exhibits extremely high activity in PCFCs in intermediate and low temperatures. A cell fabricated with this anode material achieves a power density of 912 mW cm−2 and polarization resistance of 0.04 Ω cm2 in wet H2/air at 700 °C. Additionally, the microstructure, electrochemical performance, electrochemical impedance, and electrode processes of a Ni-BCZNY cell are analyzed in detail. The results indicate that performance enhancements can be attributed to the Ni nanoparticle exsolution promoting charge transfer and hydrogen dissociative adsorption.