This study investigates scale-dependent degradation behavior and Ni-Co-based mitigation strategies in direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells (DA-SOFCs). A button cell was operated for 100 h under H2 and NH3 fuels. Under H2, only minor performance degra...
This study investigates scale-dependent degradation behavior and Ni-Co-based mitigation strategies in direct-ammonia solid oxide fuel cells (DA-SOFCs). A button cell was operated for 100 h under H2 and NH3 fuels. Under H2, only minor performance degradation was observed, whereas NH3 operation led to pronounced voltage fluctuations, a ~16.7% decrease in peak power density, and a marked increase in area-specific ohmic resistance. Post-mortem XRD and SEM-EDS analyses revealed NiO formation and severe Ni particle agglomeration across the anode, indicating that steam-assisted Ni oxidation in a mixed H2O/NH3 atmosphere is a dominant degradation mechanism. In contrast, a 10×10 cm2 anode-supported cell with Ni-Co foam current collectors and Ni-Co-coated 460FC interconnectors achieved complete NH3 conversion at 650 ℃ and exhibited I-V and EIS characteristics comparable to those under H2. Ferritic stainless steel 460FC coupons exposed to 750 ℃ NH3 for 300 h showed Fe4N, Fe2N/Fe3N, and Cr2N formation with severe surface deformation, while a Ni-Co coating (~10 μm) substantially suppressed high-nitrogen Fe nitrides, limited nitrogen ingress, and mitigated roughening. Overall, ammonia-induced degradation in DA-SOFCs evolves from broadly distributed anode degradation at the button-cell scale to strongly localized inlet-side degradation under stack-like conditions, and Ni-Co-based protective layers emerge as a promising durability enhancement strategy for both anodes and interconnectors.