PEALD Ru-decorated Ni-SDC cermet anode for utilizing methane fuel in low-temperature SOFCs

Highly active catalytic anodes with high thermal stability and carbon tolerance are essential for high performance and stable operation of hydrocarbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, we report on the design and fabrication of ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles deposited through the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) onto Ni-SDC anode for the methane-fueled low-temperature SOFCs. A decoration of similar to 4 nm-thick Ru to the Ni-SDC anode reduced the activation resistance by 31 %, and promoted the carbon removal process, mitigating carbon coking at the anode. Such an improvement seems to be due to the facilitation of methane reforming and/or oxidation reactions at intimate Ni-Ru and SDC-Ru interfaces by plasma-based process, which is of practical importance considering the use of cermet anode for SOFCs.