Development of Alternative Glass Ceramic Seal for a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

LZSA glass ceramic (LiO2-ZrO2-SiO2-Al2O3) was tested for its thermomechanical compatibility as a sealing material with a stainless steel interconnect (AISI 430) of a planar SOFC. With this purpose, the densification and crystallization behavior of LZSA were investigated initially. It was observed that the material reached maximum relative density and shrinkage, respectively 95% and 17%, at 800°C, which corresponded approximately to the crystallization temperature of the material as evidenced by DTA analysis. In the next step, LZSA tapes were cast from slurries and prepared either as LZSA laminates or LZSA-steel bilayers. The densification behavior and microstructural features of cofired LZSA laminates and LZSA-steel bilayers were analyzed at 800 and 900°C. Maximum relative density and defect-free interfaces were observed for laminates and bi-layers cofired at 800°C, whereas increased porosity and detached bi-layer were the characteristics of the samples fired at 900°C.