Gasoline-fueled solid oxide fuel cell with high power density

This short communication describes the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fueled by directly feeding premium gasoline to the anode without using external reforming. The novel component of the fuel cell that enables such operation is the mixed conductivity MoO sub(2)-based anode. Using this anode, a fuel cell demonstrating a power density >3.0 W cm super(-2) at 0.6 V was successfully fabricated. Over a 24 h period of operation, the open cell voltage remained stable at -0.9 V. At the cell voltage of 0.6 V, its current density dropped over the first 7 h to a value of -3.0 A cm super(-2), where it stayed for the remaining 17 h of the test with a minor fluctuation. Power density of -2.0 W cm super(-2) at 0.6 V was still measured after 24 h on stream with a continuous feed of gasoline. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of the anode surface pre- and post-testing showed no evidence of coking, which hints at the reason for the observed stability under the harsh cell operating conditions. The implication of this preliminary study is that an SOFC using a MoO sub(2)-based anode has potential for generating electrical power from gasoline for future hybrid electric vehicles.