Chemical and electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cells operating on solid carbon

Solid carbon was investigated as the fuel for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The carbon gasification reaction between activated carbon and carbon dioxide was well recognized as the reverse Boudouard reaction. Fe_mO_x-M_xO (M=Li, K, Ca) was characterized as an effective catalyst for the reaction. The cell performance is modestly lower operating on carbon monoxide that was produced from the catalytic reverse Boudouard reaction as compared to wet hydrogen. The power density of the fuel cell was as high as ∼250 mW cm^-2 at 850 °C. The carbon deposition properties were also investigated by SEM and O₂-TPO, the results showed that seldom carbon was detected when operating on solid carbon.