Investigations on Interfacial Interaction of Glass Sealants with Electrolytes and Interconnect for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Abstract

Lots of research has been carried out to develop proper sealing materials for planar design of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Rigid seals like glass and glass ceramics particularly alkaline earth containing are the most preferred sealant materials as they can sustain in stringent operating conditions of SOFCs. In addition to this, the properties of glasses can be tailored by selecting proper initial constituents and processing conditions. During SOFC operation, glass gets converted into glass ceramics due to formation of crystalline phases. Moreover, the interaction of glass sealants with different components of SOFC can also form different crystalline phases due to interdiffusion of anions and cations. Sometimes, these formed phases are very detrimental and cause deterioration of SOFC stack. Therefore, it is very important and essential to understand the crystallization kinetics of glass seals during interaction with other components of SOFC.