La–Mn–Cu–O protective coatings on 08Kh17T interconnector steel for solid oxide fuel cells obtained by electrochemical crystallization from non-aqueous electrolyte solutions

Abstract

A novel method was developed to form a protective layer on 08KhG17T stainless steel used to make interconnectors for solid oxide fuel cells. The method was based on the electrocrystallization of metals from non-aqueous electrolyte solutions on the stainless-steel interconnector surface with subsequent thermal treatment. Chemical composition of electrolyte was selected so that the surface is coated with an oxide protective layer of the following composition: LaMn0,9Cu0,1O3. As a result, a uniform oxide layer was formed on the stainless steel interconnector surface to protect stainless steel against high-temperature oxidation resulting in degraded functional properties of the interconnector. The coatings formed were characterized by means of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy from the surface and in the cross section. Elemental and phase composition analyses have shown that the main components of the protective coatings are compounds with perovskite and spinel structures. The protective coating in contact with cathode material based on lanthanum strontium manganite have shown significantly lowered chromium penetration from steel as a result of diffusion annealing in comparison with the sample without the protective coating. Interconnector bonding to the protective coating has shown no noticeable degradation during at least 500 h at 850 °C in ambient air.