Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells: Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies. However, traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume, current leakage, complex connections, and difficulty in gas sealing. To solve these problems, Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support, resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells (SIS-SOFCs), which achieved higher output voltage. This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures, preparation methods, performances, and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies. Finally, the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed. The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.