Catalytic Effect of Silicon Carbide on the Composite Anode of Fuel Cells

High efficiency, fuel flexibility, and sustainable energy conversion make fuel cells attractive compared to conventional energy systems. The direct ethanol fuel cells have attracted much attention because of the direct utilization of ethanol fuel. Anode materials are required to enhance the catalytic activity of the liquid fuel, which oxidize the fuel at lower operating temperature. Therefore, the catalytic effect using silicon carbide has been investigated in the LiNiO2−δ anode. The material has been characterized, and it is found that SiC shows a cubic structure and LiNiO2−δ exhibits a hexagonal structure, while the LiNiO2−δ–SiC composite exhibits a mixed cubic and hexagonal phase. Scanning electron microscopy depicts that the material is porous. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows the presence of Si–O–Si, Si–C, CO, and Si–OH bonding. The LiNiO2−δ–SiC composite (1:0.3) exhibited a maximum electrical conductivity of 1.34 S cm–1 at 650 °C with an electrical band gap of 0.84 eV. The fabricated cell with the LiNiO2−δ–SiC anode exhibits a power density of 0.20 W cm–2 at 650 °C with liquid ethanol fuel. The results show that there is a promising catalytic activity of SiC in the fuel cell anode.