For practical solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operated on hydrocarbon fuels, the facile coke formation over Ni-based anodes has become a key factor that limits their widespread application. Modification of the anodes with basic elements may effectively improve their coking resistance in the short term; however, the easy loss of basic elements by thermal evaporation at high temperatures is a new emerging problem. Herein, we propose a new design to develop coking-resistant and stable SOFCs using Li(+) -conducting Li0.33 La0.56 TiO3 (LLTO) as an anode component. In the Ni/LLTO composite, any loss of surface lithium can be efficiently compensated by lithium diffused from the LLTO bulk under operation. Therefore, the SOFC with the Ni/LLTO anode catalyst layer yields excellent power outputs and operational stability. Our results suggest that the simple adoption of a Li(+) conductor as a modifier for Ni-based anodes is a practical and easy way to solve the coking problem of SOFCs that operate on hydrocarbons.
Keywords: electrochemistry; fuel cells; hydrocarbons; lithium; supported catalysts.
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