Protective coatings for Cr2O3-forming interconnects of solid oxide fuel cells

Cr2O3 evaporation from Cr2O3-forming metallic interconnects during operation of the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) can poison other cell components and cause degradation. Protective NiFe2O4 spinel coatings on interconnect alloys were developed by electroplating and screen printing, respectively. Results indicate that NiFe2O4 coatings can significantly improve the oxidation resistance of the alloy while providing effective conducting path with inherent low resistance, and also are expected to serve as a diffusion barrier to effectively reduce the Cr2O3 evaporation. Two coating techniques were evaluated in terms of the performances of the coatings. A very interesting and smart coating structure was reported.