Development of novel glass-based composite seals for planar intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Novel glass-based composite seals prepared by tape casting are evaluated as sealing materials in solid oxide fuel cell. The leakage rates are measured at the inlet pressure of 1, 2 and 3 psi under different compressive stresses and temperatures respectively. The results show that all of measured leakage rates are lower than 0.01 sccm cm(-1) and increase with higher inlet pressure and lower test temperatures. The leakage rates during thermal cycling are conducted under a compressive stress of 20 psi at 750 degrees C, which indicate excellent thermal cycle stability of the seals. Good compatibility between seals and the adjacent components provide well interface contact which could avoid the formation of leakage paths. When the seal is applied for single cell testing, the open circuit voltage of 1.13 V and undetectable degradation clearly demonstrate the applicable performance of glass-based composite seal in solid oxide fuel cell. Crown Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.