Microstructure, Mechanical Behavior and Catalytic Activity of NiO-ZrO2 Anode Composite

Long-term operation of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) depends strongly on reliability of its components. In the case of SOFCs incorporating Ni-ScCeSZ anodes, hydrogen reduction of Ni results in changes in the chemistry, microstructure and properties of the Ni-ZrO2 anode material. In this work, the influence of microstructure of non-reduced (NiO-ScCeSZ) and reduced (Ni-ScCeSZ) anodes on their strength were studied. It was found considerable deterioration in mechanical behavior of Ni-ScCeSZ anodes after reduction comparing to initial state. Biaxial strength of anode samples decrease from similar to 100 MPa in air at ambient temperature to similar to 20 MPa after reduction in hydrogen atmosphere at 600 degrees C. Reduced anode samples were used for studying its catalytic activity for conversion of methane into CO. The degradation of anode structures during reduction decreases its catalytic activity.