Electrodeposition of CoMn onto Stainless Steels Interconnects for Increased Lifetimes in SOFCs

Abstract

A pulse and pulse reverse electrochemical deposition process is being developed for cost effective coating of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnects. Faraday Technology and WVU demonstrated that the developed process could produce uniform dense, crack-free, well-adhered CoMn alloy coatings of various compositions on a 5cm x 5cm 441 stainless steel interconnect surface. The post-deposition thermal treatment converted the CoMn alloy coatings to (Mn,Co)3O4 spinels in which a coating thickness of ~3µm was shown to be sufficient to mitigate chromia diffusion and oxidation. Various electrochemical deposition processing parameters are examined to determine their affect on the coatings performance, while the coatings thickness and composition are also varied in order to obtain preliminary coating performance limits.