Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are potentially the most efficient technology for direct conversion of hydrocarbons to electricity. While their commercial viability is greatest at operating temperatures of 300–500 °C, it is extremely difficult to run SOFCs on methane at these temperatures, where oxygen reduction and C–H activation are notoriously sluggish. Here we report a robust SOFC that enabled direct utilization of nearly dry methane (with ~3.5% H₂O) at 500 °C (achieving a peak power density of 0.37 W cm⁻²) with no evidence of coking after ~550 h operation. The cell consists of a PrBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co_1.5Fe_0.5O_5+δ nanofibre-based cathode and a BaZr_0.1Ce_0.7Y_0.1Yb_0.1O_3–δ-based multifunctional anode coated with Ce_0.90Ni_0.05Ru_0.05O₂ (CNR) catalyst for reforming of CH₄ to H₂ and CO. The high activity and coking resistance of the CNR is attributed to a synergistic effect of cationic Ni and Ru sites anchored on the CNR surface, as confirmed by in situ/operando experiments and computations.

固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）可能是将碳氢化合物直接转化为电能的最有效技术。尽管它们的商业生存能力在300–500°C的工作温度下最大，但在这些温度下以氧气运行CHFC和CH–H的活化反应非常缓慢的情况下，在甲烷上运行SOFC却极为困难。在这里，我们报告了一种强大的SOFC，它能够在500°C（达到0.37 W cm ^-2的峰值功率密度）下直接利用近乎干燥的甲烷（H ₂ O含量约为3.5％），而在运行约550 h后没有结焦的迹象。 。该电池由PrBa _0.5 Sr _0.5 Co _1.5 Fe _0.5 O _{5 +δ}纳米纤维基阴极和BaZr组成以Ce _0.90 Ni _0.05 Ru _0.05 O ₂（CNR）催化剂包覆的_0.1 Ce _0.7 Y _0.1 Yb _0.1 O _3–δ基多功能阳极可将CH ₄重整为H ₂和CO。CNR的高活性和耐结焦性为原位/操作实验和计算证实，这归因于锚固在CNR表面上的阳离子Ni和Ru位点的协同作用。