Generating C4 alkenes in solid oxide fuel cells via cofeeding H2 and n-butane using selective anode electrocatalyst.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer opportunities for the application as both power sources and chemical reactors. Yet it remains a grand challenge to simultaneously achieve high efficiency of transforming higher hydrocarbons to value-added products and of generating electricity. To address it, we here present an ingenious approach of nano-engineering the triple-phase boundary of SOFC anode, featuring abundant Co7W6@WOx core-shell nanoparticles dispersed on the surface black La0.4Sr0.6TiO3. We also develope a co-feeding strategy, which is centered on concurrently feeding SOFC anode with H2 and chemical feedstock. Such combined optimizations enable effective (electro)catalytic dehydrogenation of n-butane to butenes and 1,3-butadiene. The C4 alkenes yield is higher than 50% while the peak power density of the SOFC reached 212 mW/cm2 at 650 oC. In addition, coke formation is largely suppressed and little CO/CO2 is produced in this process. While this work shows new possibility of chemical-electricity coupling in SOFC, it might also open bona fide avenues towards the electrocatalytic synthesis of chemicals at higher temperatures.