Recent advances in material and performance aspects of solid oxide fuel cells

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are emerging as potential energy conversion devices owing to their high efficiencies and less greenhouse gas emissions. Though there are reviews on this topic, comprehensive reports are very limited. The performance of any SOFC depends on effective functioning of its main constituents like cathode, anode and electrolyte, besides critical accessories like interconnects and seals. Nature of fuel employed and the electrochemical reactions with inherent mechanisms, kinetics and thermodynamic aspects also play a predominant role in extracting the best performance from SOFCs. In this review, various aspects related to SOFCs like materials-composition, fabrication techniques in various configurations, properties and performance; characterization tools to assess the functioning of SOFCS; corrosion-types, mechanism and mitigation methods; integration protocols of SOFC with other power generation devices are thoroughly discussed. Future challenges and prospects in each aspect are presented for prospective researchers. •Materials in SOFC (anode, cathode, electrolyte, interconnect and seal)•Design and fabrication•Corrosion and its prevention•Recent advances in SOFCs•Modelling studies