SOFC Performance with Fe-Cr-Mn Alloy Interconnect

The performances of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) utilizing a -containing ferritic stainless steel (Crofer22 APU) as the cathode current collector were assessed. Three cathodes were considered: , , and (all samples incorporated a -doped interlayer between the cathode and the thin-film yttria-stablized zirconia electrolyte). Inclusion of the alloy caused rapid degradation in all samples, which was attributed to solid-state reactivity at the cathode-Crofer interface, in addition to volatilization from the alloy and subsequent condensation/reaction within the cathode and at the cathode-electrolyte interface. In situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction was used to assess the cathode-Crofer reaction products. Preoxidation of the Crofer at for to form a protective spinel coating resulted in a marginal reduction of the cell degradation rate.