Development of MnCoO coating with new aluminizing process for planar SOFC stacks

Chromia-forming ferritic stainless steels find widespread use as interconnect materials in SOFCs at operating temperatures below 800 degrees C, because of their thermal expansion match and low cost. However, volatile Cr-containing species originating from this scale can poison the cathode material in the cells and subsequently cause power degradation in the devices. To prevent this, a conductive manganese cobaltite spinel coating has been developed, but unfortunately; this coating is not compatible with glass-based seals between the interconnect or cell frame components and the ceramic cell due to reactions between the coating and the glass. Thus, a new aluminizing process has been developed to improve the stability of the sealing regions of these components, as well as for other metallic stack and balance-of-plant components. Copyright (C) 2010, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.