Nano-composite materials for high-performance and durability of solid oxide fuel cells

A functional composite powder containing nano-sized NiO and YSZ (8 mol% Y2O3–ZrO2) co-conjugated on YSZ powder is synthesized by a Pechini-type polymerizable complex method in an effort to yield improved performance and durability in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). A SOFC single cell made from the dual composite powder exhibited high power density of 1.2 W cm−2 and showed excellent durability (zero degradation) under a load of 1.0 A cm−2 during 550 h of operation at 800 °C. The durability is attributed to the uniform and constrained cermet structure, and particularly from the interface between Ni and YSZ, which has been modified via nano-conjugation. The proposed composite powder is an attractive candidate material for making homogeneous, durable, and highly efficient electrode microstructures.