Chromium poisoning effects on various cathodes

Progress in materials and fabrication techniques has allowed the reduction in the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to an intermediate range (650~800°C). In this temperature range, oxidation-resistant high-temperature alloys are used for interconnect materials. Chromia-forming ferritic stainless steels are the most promising and widely used oxidation-resistant alloys due to their appropriate thermal expansion behaviors, electrically conducting oxide scale, and low costs. However, the application of chromia-forming alloys for SOFC interconnects has been largely limited by the evaporation of chromium species from their oxide scale, which leads to degradation of cell performance. In this study, we report effects of Cr poisoning on the performance of various cathodes used for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs).