Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) as a new and clean energy has potential to solve the problems of low efficiency and pollution. However, due to the operation temperature of SOFC is too high (500-1000oC) and complex operation condition, it is necessary to understand the impact of the microstructure of electrode on its performance. The research group of Prof. Tian Yangchao in National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory have studied the relationship between microstructure of electrode and its electrical property systematically and made significant progress. Recently, Tian’group used lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate gas transport in 3D microstructures of anode based on X-ray imaging data and further calculated the concentration polarization considering the three phase boundary (TPB) length, which is more appropriate. This result had been published on the Electrochimica Acta, 2014, 121, 386 – 393. The study showed that during thermal cycles, the microstructure of anodes had obvious changes. For example, TPB length decreased as the thermal cycles increased. As figure shown, the H2 concentration decreased from gas input end to TPB end and the H2 concentration had different distributions in different anodes with different thermal cycles. This indicated that the active-TPB and pore connectivity density influenced the concentration polarizations at the TPB sites and further decide the concentration polarizations in anode. Thus to keep the stability of microstructure of anode in operation state can reduce the losses in electrical property. 

The distribution of H2 concentration in anodes with different thermal cycles.