Ni‐Catalysts Supported on Gd‐Doped Ceria for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in Methane Steam Reforming

The anode materials used in solid oxide fuel cells at intermediate temperature (IT‐SOFC) consist of a mixture of nickel and cerium oxide doped with rare earth, forming a composite with a conductor metal and a ceramic with ionic conductivity. Nickel catalysts supported on gadolinium‐doped ceria were prepared in this work in order to obtain materials with catalytic properties suitable for their use as anodes in IT‐SOFC. The catalysts were evaluated in steam reforming of methane. It was noted that gadolinium caused an increase in the metal‐support interaction and in the resistance to sintering of metal particles. Although the carbon content is not reduced, the carbon deposited in the 30CG10 catalyst is more reactive due to its amorphous nature, and it can therefore be regenerated at temperatures lower than 400 °C.