Synthesis and Stability of Pd@CeO2 Core-Shell Catalyst Films in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anodes

Submonolayer films of highly catalytically active Pd@CeO2 nanocomposites, consisting of a Pd nanoparticle core coated with a porous CeO2 shell, were deposited onto porous solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodes that were functionalized with triethoxy(octyl)silane (TEOOS). SEM results show that in contrast to bare Pd particles, Pd@CeO2 particles grafted onto the surface of the ceramic anode remained highly dispersed, even after calcination in air at 1373 K. SOFC with anodes that were modified with very low loadings (0.01 wt %) of the Pd@CeO2 nanocomposites were shown to exhibit good electrochemical performance when operating with either H-2 or CH4 fuels at 973 K. This performance was also maintained after annealing the anode in air at 1173 K. These results demonstrate a strategy for using very low loadings of highly active metal catalysts to enhance the activity of ceramic anodes while maintaining long-term stability.