Evaluation of the effect of the formed catalytic layer on the electrodes of solid oxide fuel cells on the electrochemical characteristics

With the development of small-scale energy and decentralized energy supply, there is a growing interest in energy supply schemes based on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The purpose of the work is to study the effect of the formed catalytic layer on the electrodes of the SOFC on the electrochemical characteristics of the elements. Vertically aligment of carbon nanotubes (CNT) were used to create the layer, on the surface of which the catalyst material was uniformly sprayed. It is shown that a significant increase in the active surface area of the catalyst due to the layer formed in this way contributes to a significant acceleration of electrochemical processes at the three-phase boundary of the reaction zone in the SOFC. As a result, the power of the fuel cells increases. In addition, due to the increased chemical resistance, effective heat dissipation and structural strength of vertically aligment CNT, the service life of the SOFC increases. A method and an automated system for monitoring and creating a catalytic layer on SOFC electrodes are proposed. The conducted studies have confirmed a significant increase in the specific power and the number of on/off cycles of fuel cells without loss of power compared to cells obtained by traditional methods. The results obtained can be used for the development of energy technologies, primarily in the field of alternative energy sources, and the improvement of solid-state power plants.