Abstract: | In intermediate temperature planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks, the interconnect, which is typically made from cost-effective, oxidation-resistant, high-temperature alloys, is typically sealed to the ceramic positive electrode-electrolyte-negative electrode (PEN) by a sealing glass. To maintain the structural stability and minimize the degradation of stack performance, the sealing glass has to be chemically compatible with the PEN and alloy interconnects. In the present study, the chemical compatibility of a barium-calcium-aluminosilicate (BCAS) based glass-ceramic (specifically developed as a sealant in SOFC stacks) with a number of selected oxidation resistant high temperature alloys (and the yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte) was evaluated. This paper reports the results of that study, with a particular focus on Crofer22 APU, a new ferritic stainless steel that was developed specifically for SOFC interconnect applications. This paper was presented at the Fuel Cells: Materials, Processing, and Manufacturing Technologies Symposium sponsored by the Energy/Utilities Industrial Sector & Ground Transportation Industrial Sector and the Specialty Materials Critical Technologies Sector at the ASM International Materials Solutions Conference, October 13–15, 2003, in Pittsburgh, PA. The symposium was organized by P. Singh, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, S.C. Deevi, Philip Morris USA, T. Armstrong, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and T. Dubois, U.S. Army CECOM. |