Fabrication and modification of solid oxide fuel cell anodes via wet impregnation/infiltration technique

The future commercialization and application of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technologies requires the development of novel anode materials with excellent performance and stability at intermediate-temperatures with various fuels including hydrogen, syngas and particularly hydrocarbons. Whether by modifying the state-of-the-art Ni based anodes, or through exploring alternative metal cermet or ceramic based materials, wet impregnation/infiltration is shown to be one of the most effective approaches for both cell fabrication and performance optimization. This paper reviews most of the progress reported in the literature committed to the fabrication and optimization of SOFC anodes by wet impregnation for low temperature and/or hydrocarbon operation. The optimization of traditional nickel based anodes by adding excellent catalyst, the replacement of nickel by other inert metal or ceramic species, and some metal supported designs with impregnated catalyst are all presented and discussed, mainly focusing on the cell performance, redox and thermal stability, long-term reliability, carbon and sulfur tolerance of the anodes.