Surface engineering of nanoporous substrate for solid oxide fuel cells with atomic layer-deposited electrolyte

Abstract

Solid oxide fuel cells with atomic layer-deposited thin film electrolytes supported on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) are electrochemically characterized with varying thickness of bottom electrode catalyst (BEC); BECs which are 0.5 and 4 times thicker than the size of AAO pores are tested. The thicker BEC ensures far more active mass transport on the BEC side and resultantly the thicker BEC cell generates approximate to 11 times higher peak power density than the thinner BEC cell at 500 degrees C.