A comprehensive investigation of direct ammonia-fueled thin-film solid-oxide fuel cells: Performance, limitation, and prospects

Ammonia is a promising carbon-free hydrogen carrier. Owing to their nickel-rich anodes and high operating temperatures, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can directly utilize NH₃ fuel—direct-ammonia SOFCs (DA-SOFCs). Lowering the operating temperature can diversify application areas of DA-SOFCs. We tested direct-ammonia operation using two types of thin-film SOFCs (TF-SOFCs) under 500 to 650°C and compared these with a conventional SOFC. The TF-SOFC with a nickel oxide gadolinium-doped ceria anode achieved a peak power density of 1330 mW cm⁻² (NH₃ fuel under 650°C), which is the best performance reported to date. However, the performance difference between the NH₃ and H₂ operations was significant. Electrochemical impedance analyses, ammonia conversion quantification, and two-dimensional multi-physics modeling suggested that reduced ammonia conversion at low temperatures is the main cause of the performance gap. A comparative study with previously reported DA-SOFCs clarified that incorporating a more active ammonia decomposition catalyst will further improve low-temperature DA-SOFCs.