Application of Atomic Layer Deposition to Electrodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been recognized as one of emerging renewable energy sources, due to minimized pollutant production and high efficiency in operation. The performance of SOFCs is largely dependent on the electrode polarization which involves the oxidation/reduction in cathodes and anodes along with the charge transport of ions and electronic carriers. Atomic layer deposition is based on the alternate chemical surface reaction occurring at low temperatures with high uniformity and superior step coverage. Such features can be extended into the coating of metal oxide and/or metal layer onto the porous materials. In particular, the atomic layer deposition is can manipulated in controlling the charge transport in terms of triple phase boundaries, in order to control artificially the electrochemical polarization in electrodes of SOFC. The current work applied atomic layer deposition of metal oxides intro the electrodes of SOFCs. The corresponding effect was monitored in terms of the electrochemical characterization. The roles of atomic layer deposition in solid oxide fuel cells are discussed towards optimized towards long-term durability at intermediate temperature.