Ag as an Alternative for Ni in Direct Hydrocarbon SOFC Anodes

Ag has been shown to be a good metal for SOFC anode cermets using CO fuel. Here we have expanded on the work reported by testing Ag-YSZ cermets against different hydrocarbon based fuel (H-2 and CH4). This study shows that while Ag is a good current collector, it alone does not have the required catalytic activity for the direct oxidation of hydrocarbon based fuels needed to be used in SOFC anodes. As such an additional catalytic material (e.g. CeO2) needs to be present when using fuels other then CO.