Development of Cu1.3Mn1.7O4 spinel coating on ferritic stainless steel for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

Abstract

To protect solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) from chromium poisoning and to improve area specific resistance (ASR), Cu1.3Mn1.7O4 is thermally grown on AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS) and 4-probe ASR tests. The results show that the coating not only decreases the ASR considerably, but also acts as a barrier to mitigate the sub-scale growth and to prevent chromium migration through the coating and the cathode. The EDS analysis reveals that a mixed spinel region is formed between the coating and oxide scale after 500 h oxidation at 750 °C causing a noticeable decrease in oxygen diffusivity through this layer and subsequent decline in sub-scale growth rate. The ASR of uncoated sample is measured to be 63.5 mΩ cm2 after 500 h oxidation, while the Cu1.3Mn1.7O4 spinel coated sample shows a value of 19.3 mΩ cm2 representing ∼70% reduction compared to the uncoated sample. It is proposed that the high electrical conductivity of Cu1.3Mn1.7O4 (140 S cm−1), reduction of oxide scale growth, and good bonding between the coating and substrate contribute to the substantial ASR reduction for the coated sample.