Oxidation and Electrical Behavior of Crofer 22APU Steel with the Co/Y2O3 Coating Produced by Direct Electroplating

Crofer 22 APU ferritic stainless steel has been evaluated as one of the favorable materials for utilization in Solid oxide fule cell (SOFC) interconnects. However, there are difficulties in utilizing these metallic interconnects, including the quick  decrease of their electrical conductivity and evaporation of Cr species. To overcome the above problems, the application of protective coatings has been proposed. In this work, Co/Y2O3 composite coatings were deposited onto Crofer 22 APU stainless steels by direct current electrodeposition method. Oxidation and electrical properties of uncoated and coated steels were evaluated. Surface and cross-section of the bare and coated steels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Results showed that oxidation rate of the coated specimen was reduced by about 4 times, as compared to the uncoated one after 500 h isothermal oxidation in air at 800˚C. Formation of Co3O4 and MnCo2O4 spinel compositions improved electrical conductivity of the coated sample. After 500 h of isothermal oxidation at 800˚C, ASR value of the Co/Y2O3-coated and uncoated steels was 15.8 mΩ·cm2 and 25.9 mΩ·cm2 , respectively.