Co-planar single chamber solid oxide fuel cells with concentric electrodes

Abstract

We propose a novel electrode design for co-planar single chamber solid oxide fuel cells. The concentric electrodes as well as the controlled gas flow in perpendicular to the center of the electrode enable continuous laminar flow from the cathode to the anode, which leads optimal residence time of the gas near electrodes and in turn allows high-performance stable operation. The steady state gas flow without turbulence determines not only the local thermodynamic equilibrium, but also the kinetics of the electrochemical reactions. The cell with the concentric electrodes shows the maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.70 V, and the maximum power density is improved by 154%. In contrast, the conventional cell with linear-shaped electrodes exhibits the maximum OCV of 0.55 V. Impedance spectroscopy reveals that the polarization resistance is reduced by altering the electrode design from the linear-shape to the concentric design.

Keywords

• Single chamber solid oxide fuel cell
• Co-planar design
• Concentric electrode