Investigation of oxidation activation energy of Ni-Co-CeO2 composite coating on Crofer 22 APU steel used in SOFCs

The oxidation resistance of interconnect plates used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be improved by using a protective/conductive coating layer. In this study, a Ni-Co-CeO2 composite coating was deposited on Crofer 22 APU steel substrate through the electroless method. Inorder to evaluate the oxidation resistance and measuring the oxidation activation energy, coated and bare samples were exposed at 700, 800, 900 and 1000°C temperatures for 50 hours. The results showed that Ni-Co-CeO2 composite coating improved the oxidation resistance of Crofer 22 APU steel. Also, the results showed that Ni-Co-CeO2 composite coating during oxidation, reduced the oxidation activation energy of coated samples (75 KJ mol-1) compared to bare samples (126 KJ mol-1).