PNNL

Abstract

Due to their mixed oxygen ion and electron conducting properties, ceramics such as lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrites (LSCF) are attractive materials for use in active electrochemical devices such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and oxygen separation membranes. However, to take full advantage of the unique properties of these materials, reliable joining techniques need to be developed. If such a joining technique yields a ceramic-to-metal junction that is also electrically conductive, the hermetic seals in the device could provide the added function of either drawing current from the mixed conducting oxide, in the case of SOFC applications, or carrying it to the oxide to initate ionic conduction, in the case of oxygen separation and electrocatalysis applications. This would greatly reduce the need for complex interconnect design, thereby simplifying one of the major challenges faced in SOFC development. A process referred to as reactive air brazing (RAB) has been developed in which firing a Ag-CuO filler material in air creates a functional ceramic-to-metal junction, in which the silver-based matrix of the braze affords both metallic ductility and conductivity in the joint. Investigating a range of Ag-CuO alloy combinations determined that compositions containing between 1.4 and 16 mol% CuO appear to offer the best combination of wettability, joint strength, and electrical conductivity.