PNNL

Abstract

A reliable, cost-effective high-temperature sealing technology for the joining of ceramic components to metallic structures is critical to the successful development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this paper, our latest development of a novel reactive air brazing (RAB) technology will be presented. This RAB technology uses Ag-CuO as the base braze composition with a variety of additional elements. With a proper processing control, the resultant sealing technology is capable of providing a high-temperature sealing with sufficient chemical inertness, thermal reliability, and bonding strength. We will present in this paper our latest studies on the composition design/synthesis of braze filler materials, and the characterizations including wettability, microstructure, and mechanical properties, as well as a preliminary numerical simulation addressing the residual stress generated during the processing.