Chromium poisoning in (La,Sr)MnO3 cathode: Three-dimensional simulation of a solid oxide fuel cell

Abstract

A three-dimensional numerical model of a single solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) considering chromium poisoning on the cathode side has been developed to investigate the evolution of the SOFC performance over long-term operation. The degradation model applied in the simulation describes the loss of the cathode electrochemical activity as a decrease in the active triple-phase boundary (TPB) length. The calculations are conducted for two types of cell: lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM)/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/Ni-YSZ and LSM-YSZ/YSZ/Ni-YSZ. Their electrode microstructures are acquired by imaging with a focused ion beam scanning-electron microscope (FIB-SEM). The simulation results qualitatively reproduce the trends of chromium poisoning reported in the literature. It has been revealed that the performance degradation by chromium is primarily due to an increase in the cathode activation overpotential. In addition, in the LSM-YSZ composite cathode, TPBs in the vicinity of the cathode–electrolyte interface preferentially deteriorate, shifting the active reaction site towards the cathode surface. This also results in an increase in the cathode ohmic loss associated with oxide ion conduction through the YSZ phase. The effects of the cell temperature, the partial pressure of steam at the chromium source, the cathode microstructure, and the cathode thickness on chromium poisoning are also discussed.