Issue 10, 2024

In situ formed catalysts for active, durable, and thermally stable ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cells at 550 °C

Abstract

Ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cells (NH3-PCFCs) are promising and attractive energy-conversion devices owing to their high energy density, zero-carbon emission, and safety. The development of NH3-PCFCs, however, depends largely on the insufficient activity and poor durability of typical Ni-based anodes for ammonia decomposition, especially at low temperatures such as 550 °C. Herein, we report a self-assembled heterostructured Ru0.95Cu0.05Nix (RCN) catalyst obtained through an in situ reaction between the surface-decorated Ru0.95Cu0.05 nanoparticles and the Ni grain in the anode under typical processing conditions. At 550 °C, Ni–BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3 anode-supported PCFCs with RCN catalysts exhibit a high peak power density of 0.732 W cm−2 and a significantly enhanced durability of 100 h in NH3. Moreover, the cells demonstrate improved thermal stability compared with the bare cell during a 31-cycle thermal cycling test in NH3 between 550 and 700 °C. The enhanced performance is likely attributed to the synergistic effects of Ru and Cu in RCN for NH3 decomposition, resulting in a more vital interaction of NH3 than that of the bare anode surfaces, as confirmed by NH3 thermal conversion, electrochemical performance, and theoretical simulations.

Graphical abstract: In situ formed catalysts for active, durable, and thermally stable ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cells at 550 °C

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Jan 2024
Accepted
09 Apr 2024
First published
10 Apr 2024

Energy Environ. Sci., 2024,17, 3433-3442

In situ formed catalysts for active, durable, and thermally stable ammonia protonic ceramic fuel cells at 550 °C

H. Zhang, K. Xu, Y. Xu, F. He, F. Zhu, K. Sasaki, Y. Choi and Y. Chen, Energy Environ. Sci., 2024, 17, 3433 DOI: 10.1039/D4EE00219A

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