High-Performance Low-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell with a Pt@C–Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05LiO2−δ Composite Cathode

Currently, research on low-temperature (300–600 °C) operation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is a prominent topic in the field of fuel cells. The low-temperature operation not only helps in reducing costs but also offers significant advantages over traditional SOFCs. However, as a result of the low conductivity of the electrolyte and the slow cathode dynamics, the electrochemical performance of low-temperature fuel cells significantly relies on electrolyte and cathode performance. In this paper, a high-performance composite cathode comprising carbon-loaded platinum (Pt@C) and Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05LiO2−δ (NCAL) was developed for the SOFCs based on a samarium-doped cerium oxide (SDC)–NCAL electrolyte to enhance their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The pressed nickel foam (Ni)–NCAL/7SDC–3NCAL/NCAL–Ni fuel cell had a peak power density of 1049 mW cm–2 at 550 °C in hydrogen. Notably, in ammonia at 400 °C, the fuel cell reached a peak power density of up to 158 mW cm–2. The results in this paper demonstrated that a high performance of the fuel cell at a low temperature could be accomplished by the cathode with efficient catalysis.