Performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with Porous Metal as a Current Collector

Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co. Ltd. is aiming to apply Celmet, a porous metal product, as a current collector for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). NiCo Celmet is particularly suitable for cathode current collectors as it forms conductive oxides in a high-temperature and high-oxidant atmosphere. We reported that fuel cells using the NiCo Celmet exhibit high power density even without gas flow channels in the interconnector because of its high gas diffusivity. In this study, to elucidate the mechanism of high power density, we investigated the influence on DC resistance by applying Celmet as a current collector. We clarified that the contactability between the cell and Celmet is improved by shaping Celmet along the warp of the cell. Moreover, we found that NiCo Celmet can maintain good contactability as its oxidation expansion applies pressure from the inside of the stack. © 2023 Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.. All rights reserved.