Effect of nickel doping on structure and suppressing boron volatility of borosilicate glass sealants in solid oxide fuel cells

The high volatility of boron from borosilicate glass sealants often leads to boron deposition and poisoning of La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O₃ (LSCF) cathode, presenting a challenge for the development of reliable solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this paper, we report that boron volatilization from borosilicate glass at 700 °C can be significantly suppressed by appropriate NiO dopant, mainly due to the increase of Si-O-B linkages in the combining B-O^? and Si-O^? network. Also, the formation of boron-containing phase in NiO-doping glass-ceramics has been studied, which suppresses the reaction between glass and LSCF cathode after heat treatment at 700 °C for 1000 h. Moreover, the change of crystalline phases leads to an improvement in thermal and electrical properties. We believe that our findings will open a new way for the design and development of the reliable sealing glass for SOFCs applications.