Chromate formation at the interface between a solid oxide fuel cell sealing glass and interconnect alloy

High-temperature interactions between glass-ceramic sealants and Cr-containing ferritic interconnects used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) lead to the formation of detrimental chromate interfacial phases, such as BaCrO4 or SrCrO4, which can cause mechanical failure of the SOFC. In this work, these interactions are characterized by reacting Cr2O3 powders with a SrO-containing sealing glass and by characterizing representative reaction couples between the glass and 430 stainless steel. The extent of chromate formation depends on the reaction time and temperature, and the effect of the partial pressure of oxygen is modeled by thermochemical calculations. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.