Solid oxide fuel cells operating without using an anode material

We proposed a new type of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operating without using an anode material, where the anode was spontaneously formed by reduction of the electrolyte surface under reducing gas conditions. A BaCe0.76Y0.20Pr0.04O3−α electrolyte most successfully met this criterion. This material showed high mixed protonic–electronic conduction, whereas the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the cell was slightly lower than the theoretical value. The resulting SOFC exhibited reasonable fuel cell performances together with a good stability to thermal and redox cyclings and high resistance to carbon deposition up to 800 °C for dry methane, ethane, and propane.