Current State of R&D on Micro Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in Japan

Abstract

The development of novel type solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) based on micro-tubular cells has been progressing in Japan. Micro-tubular SOFCs may open the door to wide applications of fuel cells because of their large reactive surface area per unit volume, the possibility of quick start-up, innovative cost reduction through high volumetric power densities, etc. In this paper, various aspects of micro-tubular SOFCs are reviewed, including target applications, materials selection, bundle/stacking designs, manufacturing process, and state-of-the-art achievements.