(293c) Nickel-Based Anode with Microstructured MoO2 Internal Reformer for Liquid Hydrocarbon-Fueled SOFCs

The present paper describes the fabrication of a bilayer structured solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Its anode consisting of an internal MoO₂-based micro-reformer in the form of a porous thin film deposited over a Ni-based anode. Cell performance was measured by directly feeding a mixture of n-dodecane and air at different O₂/C ratios to the anode at 750^oC. Our findings show that the bilayer structured SOFC operating at an O₂/C ratio of 0.64 leads to the highest initial cell performance with a maximum power density output > 4 W/cm². At a constant voltage of 0.7 V using an O₂/C ratio of 0.64, the bilayer structured SOFC showed a gradual increase in power density output over the first 2 h, followed by a stable output of 3.6 W/cm²for the next 10 h. The tested cell showed no indication of coking. When a conventional Ni-based SOFC, without the internal micro-reformer, was operated under similar conditions, its initial performance and long-term stability were found to be significantly lower than that of the bilayer structured SOFC. Hence, the present work demonstrates that a Ni-based SOFC with an integrated MoO₂ micro-reformer can effectively operate when fed directly with n-dodecane without an external reformer. These results open up new opportunities for efficiently generating electrical power from both existing transportation fuels and next generation biomass-derived liquid fuels using SOFCs with an integrated MoO₂ micro-reformer.