Stability of solid oxide fuel cell components

The solid oxide fuel cell technology offers substantial potential for clean and efficient power generation. The high operating temperature (700-1000 degreesC) is beneficial for co-generation of both electricity and high-grade heat at user sites, thus, increasing total system efficiency to above 85%. However, the high operating temperature imposes severe restrictions on materials, which can otherwise be effectively used for construction of the complete device. Degradation of fuel cell performance occurs over a period of time and is related to the deterioration of material properties and interfacial reactions between various fuel cell components. In this paper, a short overview on the stability of various fuel cell components in real operating environments is given. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.