PNNL

Abstract

Due to their TEC matching to PEN components, excellent oxidation resistance, low cost and good fabricability, stainless steels have been used as the interconnect materials in planar SOFC. For being hermetical, the stainless steel interconnect ought to be sealed to YSZ electrolyte and/or another piece of metallic interconnect, usually using a sealing glass. The seal performance, which is critical factor to determine the reliability and durability of SOFC stack, largely depends on the chemical compatibility between the sealing glass and stainless steel. In this work, the ferritic stainless steel 446 and a barium-aluminosilicate base glass have been taken as an example for metallic interconnects and sealing glass, respectively, and the corrosion at the interface of metal and sealing glass has been investigated and understood. The methodology and results of the microscopic analysis and thermodynamic modeling will be presented, and the mechanism of corrosion at the interface will be discussed as well.