Enhanced coking resistance of Ni cermet anodes for solid oxide fuel cells based on methane on-cell reforming by a redox-stable double-perovskite Sr₂MoFeO_6-δ

Carbon deposition on a Ni-based anode is troublesome for the direct power generation from methane-based fuels using solid oxide fuel cell. In this paper, a redox-stable double-perovskite Sr₂MoFeO_6-δ (SMFO) is applied as an independent on-cell reforming catalyst over a Ni-YSZ anode to improve coking resistance. The morphology, catalytic activity and electrochemical performance for wet methane/coal-bed gas (CBG) are investigated. A Ni-YSZ anode supported cell with SMFO generates a high power output of 1.77 W·cm⁻² and exhibits favorable stability operated on wet CH₄ at 800°C. Post-mortem micro-structural analyses of cells indicate the cell operated on CBG shows coking probably due to the heavy carbon compounds in CBG.