Microstructure evolution and chromium suppression mechanism in pre-oxidized Ce/Co-coated AISI 441 stainless steel for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

IF 8.3 2区工程技术 Q1 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy Pub Date : 2025-08-20 DOI:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.151044

Wei Cong , Yangfan Fu , Peng He , Tiesong Lin , Guangjie Feng , Zhanpeng Zhang , Wenlong Duan , Yifeng Wang , Qian Wang

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Abstract

Chromium volatilization and the poorly-regulated Cr₂O₃ scale pose significant challenges to the oxidation resistance and electrochemical performance of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnects. This study develops a Co₃O₄/CeO₂/Cr₂O₃ tri-layer diffusion barrier via a pre-oxidation treatment to mitigate these issues. The results show that the pre-oxidation at 800 °C enhanced both the coating densification and adhesion strength, resulting in a peak critical load (L_c) of 17.7 ± 0.25 N. After 100 h of thermal exposure at 750 °C, the optimized pre-oxidation treatment effectively limits the thermal growth of the Cr₂O₃ scale, maintaining a thickness of 134 nm, which is an increase of only 7.2 % compared to the pre-exposure stage. Furthermore, the post-exposure chromium concentration on the coating surface remains remarkably low (2.3 at. %), with only a slight increase of 0.43 at. %. These findings elucidate the mechanism by which the tri-layer diffusion barrier enhances oxidation resistance and reduces area-specific resistance (ASR), providing a feasible pathway for the development of durable and high-performance SOFC interconnects.

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固体氧化物燃料电池互连用预氧化Ce/ co涂层AISI 441不锈钢的组织演变及抑铬机理

铬挥发和Cr2O3氧化垢调控不佳对固体氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）互连的抗氧化性能和电化学性能构成了重大挑战。本研究通过预氧化处理开发了Co3O4/CeO2/Cr2O3三层扩散屏障来缓解这些问题。结果表明：800℃预氧化处理增强了涂层致密性和附着强度，峰值临界载荷（Lc）为17.7±0.25 n。750℃热暴露100 h后，优化后的预氧化处理有效地限制了Cr2O3涂层的热生长，厚度保持在134 nm，仅比预暴露阶段增加7.2%。此外，暴露后涂层表面的铬浓度仍然非常低(2.3 at。%)，仅微增0.43个百分点。%。这些发现阐明了三层扩散屏障增强抗氧化性和降低面积比电阻（ASR）的机制，为开发耐用、高性能的SOFC互连提供了可行的途径。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 工程技术-环境科学

CiteScore

13.50

自引率

25.00%

发文量

3502

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： The objective of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy is to facilitate the exchange of new ideas, technological advancements, and research findings in the field of Hydrogen Energy among scientists and engineers worldwide. This journal showcases original research, both analytical and experimental, covering various aspects of Hydrogen Energy. These include production, storage, transmission, utilization, enabling technologies, environmental impact, economic considerations, and global perspectives on hydrogen and its carriers such as NH3, CH4, alcohols, etc. The utilization aspect encompasses various methods such as thermochemical (combustion), photochemical, electrochemical (fuel cells), and nuclear conversion of hydrogen, hydrogen isotopes, and hydrogen carriers into thermal, mechanical, and electrical energies. The applications of these energies can be found in transportation (including aerospace), industrial, commercial, and residential sectors.