Advances on Electrodeposition-thermal Treatment Preparation of Co-Mn Spinel Coatings on Ferritic Stainless Steel Surface

Ferritic stainless steel(FSS)is a kind of ideal interconnect material for solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)in medium temperature environment.However, because there are considerable amounts of Cr in FSS, the Cr scale forming on the surface of the interconnects gradually become thicker during the working process of SOFC, which reduce the conductivity of the interconnects. In addition, Cr in FSS react with H₂O or O₂ and the volatile Cr compounds form. When the compounds pass through the cathode and deposited at the cathode interface, the activity of the cathode reduces, resulting in the “Cr poisoning”of the cathode and degradation of the SOFC performance. Consequently, the commercial development and application of SOFC has been seriously restricted. Co-Mn spinel protective coating on the surface of FSS prepared by electrodeposition-thermal treatment method can effectively prevent the volatilization of Cr compounds, improve the oxidation resistance of the battery stack, and prolong the service life of SOFC on the basis of ensuring its conductivity. The research progress and the state of art in aspects of the electrodeposition-thermal treatment methods, characteristics and performance of the Co-Mn spinel coating prepared on FSS interconnect surface were reviewed, and some suggestions for the future development trend in the field were proposed.