i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6

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The preparation and properties of MneCoeO spinel

coating for SOFC metallic interconnect

Fangxin Li, Pengchao Zhang*, Yang Zhao, Deming Yang, Juncai Sun
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, PR China

highlights graphical abstract

MnCo2O4 coating is fabricated onto

AISI430 by pack cementation
process.

MnCo2O4 coated steel effectively
inhibits the outward diffusion of
Cr.

MnCo2O4 coated steel has excel-
lent oxidation resistance and sur-
face conductivity.

article info abstract

Article history: To meet the performance requirements of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) metallic intercon-
Received 26 November 2022 nect, the MneCoeO spinel coating is prepared on the surface of AISI430 by pack cemen-
Received in revised form tation method to reduce the growth kinetics of oxides and inhibit the outward diffusion of
3 January 2023 Cr. The microstructural characterization shows that a dense, uniform, defect-free spinel
Accepted 5 January 2023 coating is successfully fabricated on the surface of AISI430. Under the simulated SOFC
Available online 27 January 2023 cathode environment, the weight gain of coated steel (0.608 mg cm2) after oxidation at
800  C for 800 h is significantly lower than that of uncoated (1.586 mg cm2). In addition, the
Keywords: area specific resistance (ASR) of the coated steel oxidized for 500 h is 17.69 mU cm2, much
SOFC smaller than that of the bare steel, indicating that the oxidation resistance and electrical
Metallic interconnect conductivity of AISI430 are significantly improved by MneCoeO spinel coating. Cross-
MneCoeO spinel Coating sectional observations of the MneCoeO spinel coating are conducted to assess the
Oxidation compatibility of substrate with the adjacent coating and its effectiveness in reducing the
Area specific resistance growth of the Cr2O3 layer.
© 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: zpc@dlmu.edu.cn (P. Zhang).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.01.065
0360-3199/© 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6
Introduction
SOFC is a power generation device that directly converts the
chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy. It has the ad-
vantages of low cost, quiet operation, cleanliness, high effi-
ciency, and high tolerance to fuel impurities [1e4]. With the
development of materials, the working temperature of SOFC
has dropped to 600e800  C, which makes it possible to use
metallic materials as interconnects [5,6]. Ferritic stainless
steel is the most promising interconnect material due to its
high electrical conductivity and appropriate coefficient of
thermal expansion (CTE) [7e10]. However, there are still some
defects with the ferrite stainless steel used as interconnect at
the operating temperature of the SOFC. Such as poor high-
temperature oxidation resistance, cathode poisoning caused
by volatile Cr, and high area specific resistance, which seri-
ously influence the performance of interconnect and result in
a decrease in battery performance [11e14]. To address these
issues, the preparation of spinel coatings on stainless steel
surfaces is one of the most efficient methods available.
Conductive spinel can improve the high-temperature oxida-
tion resistance of the interconnect, inhibit the volatilization of
Cr, and enable the SOFC to operate stably for a long time at
high temperature [15]. Therefore, the preparation of spinel
coatings on stainless steel surfaces to improve the perfor-
mance of SOFC interconnects has been the subject of intense
research in recent years.
The pack cementation technique is one of the most effi-
cient ways to prepare a spinel coating on stainless steel sur-
faces. Stainless steel can reduce the growth of oxide scales
through its surface coating to enhance conductivity, suppress
Cr volatilization, and improve high-temperature oxidation
resistance. In recent years, a growing number of researchers
have investigated the application of conductive spinel and
spinel protective coatings. Among various spinel coatings, Co-
based [16e20] and Mn-based [21e24] spinel coatings are the
most promising due to their high electrical conductivity,
excellent oxidation resistance, and CTE matching with inter-
connect. Zhang et al. [25] used electrodeposition technology to
prepare high-quality MneCoeO spinel coatings on Crofer22
APU substrates, which proved that the microstructure of the
manganeseecobalt coatings has a large effect on their pro-
tective performance and determines the possible mecha-
nisms of degradation. Jilivand et al. [16] prepared NiCo2-xFeXO4
(x ¼ 0, 0.5, 1) spinel layers on AISI430 stainless steel by sol-gel
method to reduce the generation of free NiO at working tem-
perature, prevent the migration of Cr, and decrease the ASR.
Zhao et al. [17,18] prepared protective and conductive
(Fe,Co,Ni)3O4 spinel coatings on the surface of stainless steel
by magnetron sputtering technique and pre-oxidation process
to obtain excellent oxidation resistance and high electrical
conductivity. Waluyo et al. [21] prepared spinel protective
coating CuMn2O4 with low ASR and great stability on Crofer22
APU by plasma spraying technology. Liu et al. [19] prepared a
CoFe2O4 spinel coating on the surface of AISI430 ferritic
stainless steel by pack cementation, which effectively
improved the oxidation resistance and electrical conductivity
of the interconnect. Several techniques have been developed
to prepare coatings on ferritic stainless steels, including
16049
electrodeposition, sol-gel, magnetron sputtering, plasma
spraying, screen printing, pack cementation et al. Among
them, the pack cementation method has attracted attention
due to its simple operation, reliability, low cost, and good
adhesion between the coating and the substrate.
MneCoeO spinel is a promising coating material, which
has been widely used as a coating material due to its high
electrical conductivity, good stability, and suitable CTE. In this
paper, the MneCoeO spinel coating was prepared on AISI430
by pack cementation and pre-oxidation technology. Issues of
complicated operations and expensive processes are avoided.
The performance of the MneCoeO spinel protective coating
prepared on the surface of the AISI430 was investigated in a
simulated SOFC cathode operating environment.
Experimental
Preparation of samples
Industrial AISI430 steel plate was cut into small pieces of
10 mm  10 mm  1 mm as a substrate, the corresponding
composition of AISI430 steel plate was shown in Table 1. The
surfaces of the samples were polished using waterproof paper
from #240 up to #2000. The polished sample was then
immersed in 4 wt% sulfuric acids for 30 s to activate the sur-
face, rinsed with distilled water, and ultrasonically cleaned
with anhydrous ethanol. Finally, the clean samples were dried
at room temperature.
Preparation of MneCoeO spinel
The pack cementation method was use d to prepare
MneCoeO spinel on AISI430 substrate. Firstly, Mn powder, Co
powder, Al2O3 (fillers, not involved in the reaction), and NH4Cl
(catalyst) were fully mixed in a ball mill according to the ratio
of 10: 20: 68: 2. The as-prepared samples. were buried in
powder mixture in a quartz tube, the quartz tube was plugged
with a quartz plug, then heated at 900  C for 2 h of holding
time in the tube furnace (in argon gas) and cooled to ambient
temperature naturally. After being ultrasonically cleaned in
anhydrous ethanol, the dried sample was pre-oxidized in a
muffle furnace under the temperature of 800  C for 2 h. Then
the MnCo2O4 spinel was obtained on the surface of AISI430 in
the process of pre-oxidation. The pack cementation process of
preparing MneCoeO spinel coating was shown in Fig. 1.
Characterization of coatings
The phase of uncoated samples and coated samples were
identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cu Ka radiation is used to
identify the phase in the surface layer of the sample. The
surface and cross-section morphology of samples was
Table 1 e The chemical composition of AISI430 stainless
steel.
Element Fe Cr Mn Si C P S
Content (wt.％) Bal. 16.58 0.87 0.63 0.11 0.03 0.02
16050 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6
Fig. 1 e Schematic diagram of the preparation of MneCoeO spinel coating.
observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped
with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) to analyze
the distribution of elements in surface area.
Oxidation measure
In order to test the anti-Cr volatility of spinel, the samples
were thermostatically oxidized at 800  C for 800 h. Three un-
coated samples and three coated samples were placed in
crucibles. The samples were oxidized to 800  C in a high-
temperature muffle furnace. The weights of the samples
were then measured every 25 h to obtain an average. In
addition, cyclic oxidation was tested to study crack and peel
resistance at high temperatures. The samples were heated to
800  C with the heating rates of 10  C/min and then cooled to
room temperature in air. The test lasted for 100 cycles and the
samples were weighed every 5 cycles.
ASR test
To study the electrical conductivity of samples, the ASR of
samples was measured through the four-point DC method.
The design diagram of ASR test device was shown in Fig. 2.
The two surfaces of sample were coated with Ag paste and
fully contacted with Pt mesh before measurement, and then
placed in a high-temperature muffle furnace at 800  C. One
end was connected to a constant current of 100 mA, and the
other was tested for voltage. The resistance R was obtained by
R ¼ U/2I [26], and the ASR of sample was the product of R and
the coverage area of the Ag paste.
Fig. 2 e Schematic diagram of the setup for the ASR test of samples.
Results and discussion
Surface structure, chemical composition and phase
Fig. 3a shows the surface morphology of the MneCo alloy
layer. The particles exhibit a homogeneous distribution with a
size range of 0.5e1 mm. A continuous and dense MneCo alloy
layer with a thickness of about 3e4 mm is obtained by pack
cementation method (Fig. 3b). The MneCo alloy layer is well
bonded to the AISI430 substrate without cracks and pores. EDS
elemental analysis shows a higher Fe and Cr content in the
substrate, which is then progressively depleted in the alloy
layer. Mn and Co show a gradual increase in content in the
alloy layer and a minimum in the substrate.
The MneCo alloy sample is treated with a pre-oxidation
process to prepare the protective MneCoeO spinel coating
onto AISI430. A dense uniform surface can be observed in
Fig. 4a, which favors the sustainability of the interconnects.
The high content of Mn, Co, and O (30.36 wt.%, 42.54 wt.%, and
21.34 wt.%) is measured on the surface of MneCoeO coating
sample, while a low content of Cr (5.76 wt.%) is detected on the
surface in Fig. 4b, which proves that the MneCoeO coating
has been successfully prepared and inhibit the diffusion of Cr
element.
The diffraction peaks of MnCo2O4 [PDF#23e1237] and
FeeCr phase can be detected in XRD result of MneCoeO
coating sample (Fig. 4c), which demonstrates that the MneCo
alloy layer can successfully transform into MnCo2O4 spinel
coating after the pre-oxidation process. The FeeCr phase is
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6 16051

Fig. 3 e SEM image of MneCo alloy coating prepared on AISI430 surface (a) surface morphology (b) cross-section morphology
and corresponding EDS analysis.

derived from substrate because the coating was not thick
enough to hinder X-ray penetration [27,28]. The trans-
formation process of MnCo2O4 is complex according to Cher-
epin's report [29]. In General, Mn and O have a preferential
affinity to Co under high temperature and high oxygen partial
pressure to form MnO. Meanwhile, Co2O3 is formed due to the
combination of Co and O. The dispersed distribution of MnO
and Co2O3 is arrayed with optimum structural principle into
the spinel phase. The generated process of MnCo2O4 can be
finally expressed as the following reaction:
Mn þ 2Co þ 2O2 ¼ MnCo2 O4 (1)
A dense and consecutive spinel coating with good adhe-
sion to the substrate can be obtained after pre-oxidation
(Fig. 4d). According to the EDS results, the Fe and Cr ele-
ments are high in the substrate, but then they are gradually
depleted in the oxide layer. In contrast, the MnCo2O4 spinel
layer has been measured to have high Co, Mn, and O content.
Combined with the XRD results, the MnCo2O4 spinel coating is
formed after the pre-oxidation process to effectively suppress
the out-diffusion of Cr.

Fig. 4 e The MnCo2O4 spinel sample after pre-oxidation (a) surface morphology, (b) mapping analysis, (c) XRD pattern, (d)
cross-section morphology and corresponding EDS analysis.
16052 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6
Fig. 5 e (a) The weight gain and (b) oxidation kinetics for uncoated and coated samples at 800  C for 800 h.
Oxidation behavior
Fig. 5 studies the oxidation weight gain and oxidation kinetics
of the samples oxidized at 800  C for 800 h, respectively. The
oxidation weight gain of uncoated and coated sample in-
creases parabolically with the increasing oxidation time. The
weight gain of uncoated sample possesses a high growth rate
during the initial 300 h, and the rate of growth slows down
subsequently (Fig. 5a). This behavior is characteristic of
oxidation kinetics governed by a combination of diffusion
controlled (parabolic) oxide scale growth and linear (time
invariant) oxide scale evaporation. Under this regime, the
oxide scale grows until a certain thickness is reached where
evaporation and oxidation proceed at the same rate. The
thickness of the oxide scale will remain constant as the
oxidation continues, but mass loss will be recorded. The weight
gain of coated sample increases rapidly within 375 h, and then
tends to be gentle (Fig. 5a), which is due to the formation of
spinel inhibiting the growth of Cr2O3 oxide scale. In addition,
the oxidation weight gain of the coated sample (0.608 mg cm2)
is lower than that of uncoated (1.586 mg cm2). It is proved that
the spinel coating can effectively improve the oxidation resis-
tance of sample at high temperature.
To explain the oxidation kinetics principle of samples
more specifically, the relationship between the square of area
specific surface weight gain and oxidation time is researched
Fig. 6 e Surface morphology for (a) uncoated and (b) coated samples after oxidation.
(Fig. 5b). Based on Wagner's oxidation theory [30], if the curve
is parabolic, the parabolic rate kinetic equation is satisfied by
Eq. (2):
 2
△M
＝kP $t (2)
A
where DM is the mass gain, A is the sample surface area, kp is
the parabolic rate constant, and t is the oxidation time. One of
the important factors affecting oxidation kinetics is the con-
tent of oxides formed by outward diffusion of metal cations
and inward diffusion of anions [31]. In this experiment, the
formation of Cr2O3 and the evaporation of Cr are accelerated
by the outward diffusion of Cr in the substrate during high-
temperature oxidation. The kp of coated sample is signifi-
cantly lower than that of uncoated one during the oxidation
process, indicating that the MneCoeO spinel coating can
significantly suppress the inward diffusion of oxygen in the
simulated cathode environment. It is further demonstrated
that MneCoeO spinel can effectively suppress the growth of
Cr2O3 oxide layer and improve the antioxidant properties of
AISI430.
Fig. 6 is the surface morphology of uncoated and coated
samples after long-term isothermal oxidation (800  C, 800 h).
The surface of the uncoated sample is covered with poly-
hedral grains, loosely packed (Fig. 6a). Analogous surface
morphology appears in previous reference [28]. The coated
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6 16053

Fig. 7 e Cross-section morphology and corresponding EDS analysis (a) uncoated and (b) coated samples after oxidation test
at 800  C for 800 h.

Fig. 8 e XRD pattern (a) uncoated and (b) coated samples after oxidation test at 800  C for 800 h.

sample has a dense morphology on surface with a diameter of of Cr elements is effectively inhibited by the MneCoeO
particles about 0.2e1 mm (Fig. 6b). spinel coating. After a long period of high-temperature
Fig. 7 shows the cross-section morphology and EDS anal- oxidation, the protective spinel coating remains compact
ysis of the uncoated and coated samples, respectively, after and retains good adhesion to the substrate without cracking.
the isothermal oxidation test. The oxide layer with a thickness
of about 11e13 mm can be observed in the uncoated sample
(Fig. 7a). According to the EDS analysis in Fig. 7a, the oxide
layer has high O, Cr, and Fe content. The high content of Cr in
the oxide layer is observed due to the combination of outward
diffusion of Cr and inward diffusion of O, resulting in the
formation of Cr2O3 at high temperatures. The closer to the air,
the greater oxygen partial pressure in the oxide layer It is
easily oxidized into volatile Cr species in the outer layer, and
the volatile Cr species are easily diffused from the oxide layer
into the air. These volatile Cr species will diffuse to the cath-
ode and poison the active reaction site, leading to severe
degradation of the SOFC stack in output power.
The spinel outer layer is uniform and dense with a thick-
ness of 9e11 mm in Fig. 7b, thinner than that of uncoated. This
result is corresponding with the comparison of previous
oxidation weight gain between the uncoated and coated
samples (Fig. 5a). EDS analysis shows a high Mn and Co con-
tent in the oxide layer, but almost no Cr elements can be Fig. 9 e Weight gain of uncoated and coated samples
detected. This evidence demonstrates that the out-diffusion versus the cycle number.
16054 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6

Fig. 10 e Surface morphology of (a) uncoated and (b) coated samples after cyclic oxidation test.

Fig. 8 shows the XRD of uncoated and coated samples after
isothermal oxidation measurement. After 800 h of oxidation,
the oxide layer of uncoated sample is composed of MnCr2O4
and Cr2O3 (Fig. 8a), which is consistent with the study of
Zhou's report [26]. The XRD pattern of the coated sample
oxidized at 800  C for 800 h is shown in Fig. 8b. Combining the
results in Fig. 7c, the oxide layer consists of an inner layer of
MnFe2O4, CoFe2O4 and an outer layer of MnCo2O4. The con-
ductivity and thermal expansion coefficient of MnFe2O4 are
8.0 S cm1 and 1.25  106/ C. The conductivity and thermal
expansion coefficient of CoFe2O4 are 0.93 S cm1 and
1.21  106/ C [20]. The continuous outward diffusion of Fe
will combine with Mn and Co to form a spinel structure, which
can improve the performance of the coated sample.
To study the thermal cracking resistance of spinel coating
on AISI430 against spallation and cracking, the coated sample
is subjected to cyclic oxidation test (800  C) in a simulated
starting and stopping SOFC condition, using the uncoated
sample as a comparison. Fig. 9 shows the weight gain of the
uncoated and coated samples with the number of cycles. For
both samples, the weight gain increases with the number of
cycles. In addition, the uncoated sample consistently has a
higher weight gain value than the coated one. The weight gain
of uncoated sample is 2.315 mg cm2, higher than that of

Fig. 11 e ASR result of uncoated and coated samples at (a) (b) different oxidation temperatures, (c) different oxidation times.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 4 8 ( 2 0 2 3 ) 1 6 0 4 8 e1 6 0 5 6
coated (0.726 mg cm2) after 100 heating and cooling cycles.
This indicates that the coated sample still has excellent
resistance to oxidation after cyclic oxidation testing.
Fig. 10 shows the surface morphology of the coated and
uncoated samples after cyclic oxidation testing. Extensive
cracking and spallation can be observed on the uncoated
surface in Fig. 10a. According to the related report, the for-
mation of cracking and peeling relates to the large disparity of
coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the substrate
and oxide layer [32]. The exfoliated part can enhance the
migration of cations and accelerate the growth of the oxide
layer at high temperatures. The surface of the coated sample
is uniform and dense, without crack and peeling (Fig. 10b).
This result indicates that the spinel coating is well resistant to
spallation and cracking, which can be attributed to the com-
parable CTE of the spinel coating with the AISI430.
Electrical property
An important requirement for the interconnect is to maintain
a low and stable electrical resistance during SOFC operation.
In this experiment, the electrical properties of the intercon-
nect are evaluated by the method of measuring the ASR of
samples. Fig. 11a presents the dependence of testing tem-
perature (from 450  C to 850  C) with ASR for the coated and
uncoated samples. The ASR decreases with the increasing
temperature for both samples. A linear relationship between
Log (ASR/T) and 1/T is shown in Fig. 11b, demonstrating an
electrical characteristic of semiconductors. The activation
energy can be calculated from the slope of the curve described
by the Arrhenius equation:
 
ASR Ea
¼ A$exp
T KT
where A is the pre-exponential factor (mUcm2 K1), Ea is the
activation energy (eV), and k is the Boltzmann constant (eV
K1). According to the study of Zhang, the oxide layer has a
great influence on the ASR of interconnect [33]. The Ea of the
oxides is determined by Cr2O3 due to the lowest conductivity
of Cr2O3 among all the oxides on the sample surface. The ASR
value is dependent on the thickness of Cr2O3 layer [23]. With a
thinner Cr2O3 layer covering the sample, the activation energy
is lower and the conductivity is higher. The Ea can be deduced
from slope through the calculation of equation (5). It can be
calculated that the Ea of uncoated sample is about 0.30 eV,
which is higher than that of coated (0.19 eV), indicating a
thinner Cr2O3 layer on coated sample. Fig. 11c shows the ASR
of uncoated and coated samples after oxidation in air at 800  C
for 500 h. The ASR result of the coated sample (17.69 mU cm2)
is lower than that of uncoated (80.22 mU cm2) after long-term
oxidation. It has been demonstrated that spinel coating can
suppress the growth of Cr2O3 layers and improve the con-
ductivity of coated samples.
Conclusion
The spinel coatings have been successfully fabricated onto
AISI430 using a simple pack cementation process and pre-
oxidation treatment. After the oxidation test, the coated
16055
sample has a dense and homogeneous surface with good
adhesion to the substrate and no cracks. The protective spinel
coating demonstrates excellent performance in suppressing
the outward diffusion of Cr since no Cr element can be
measured in spinel layer after long-term oxidation. The
MneCoeO spinel coating can reduce the growth rate of Cr2O3
(kp ¼ 5.01  104 mg2 cm4 h1) and improve the electrical
conductivity of stainless steel (ASR ¼ 17.69 mU cm2). After
cyclic oxidation measurements, the antistrip property of
MnCo2O4 coating is improved due to the matching of its
thermal expansion coefficient with that of substrate. The
combined results show that the MnCo2O4 spinel coating can
meet the stability and durability requirements of the SOFC
metallic interconnect.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Fundamental
Research Funds for the Central Universities (3132020157) and
the Projects for Dalian Youth Star of Science and Technology
(2018RQ53).
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