Improving sealing performance of borosilicate glass-ceramics for solid oxide fuel cell applications: Effect of AlN

Abstract Glass and glass-ceramic are one of the key sealing materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and they need to meet stringent requirements for long-term operation at high temperatures. Here, we report for the first time the incorporation of aluminum nitride (AlN) dopant into borosilicate glasses and glass-ceramics so as to tailor their basic properties and sealing performance. The results show the AlN-doped glass-ceramics exhibit remarkably enhanced thermal stability and chemical compatibility when adhering to Y2O3-ZrO2 electrolyte. The electrical conductivity is also significantly reduced by the AlN doping, and the conductivity of 15 wt.% AlN-doped glass-ceramic is nearly two orders of magnitude lower than that of the undoped glass-ceramic. This work indicates that AlN doping is an effective strategy to obtain a reliable borosilicate glass-ceramics for SOFCs.