Progress and challenges of carbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cells anode

Carbon-fueled solid oxide fuel cells (CF-SOFCs) can electrochemically convert the chemical energy in carbon into electricity, which demonstrate both superior electrical efficiency and fuel utilisation compared to all other types of fuel cells. However, using solid carbon as the fuel of SOFCs also faces some challenges, the fluid mobility and reactive activity of carbon-based fuels are much lower than those of gaseous fuels. Therefore, the anode reaction kinetics plays a crucial role in determining the electrochemical performance of CF-SOFCs. Herein, the progress of various anodes in CF-SOFCs is reviewed from the perspective of material compositions, electrochemical performance and microstructures. Challenges faced in developing high performance anodes for CF-SOFCs are also discussed.