In this paper, the behaviour of silver as cathode conductive material, interconnect wire, and sealing for anode lead connection for microtubular solid oxide fuel cells (µSOFC) is reported. The changes in silver morphology are examined by scanning electron microscopy on cells that had been operated under reformed methane. It is found that using silver in an solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack can improve the cell performance. However, it is also concluded that silver may be responsible for cell degradation. This report brings together and explains all the known problems with application of silver for SOFCs. The results show that silver is unstable in interconnect and in cathode environments. It is found that the process of cell passivation/activation promotes silver migration. The difference in thermal expansion of silver and sealant results in damage to the glass. It is concluded that when silver is exposed to a dual atmosphere condition, high levels of porosity formation is seen in the dense silver interconnect. The relevance of application of silver in SOFC stacks is discussed.

中文翻译：

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银在微管固体氧化物燃料电池中的应用

本文报道了银作为阴极导电材料，互连线以及用于微管固体氧化物燃料电池（µSOFC）的阳极引线连接密封的行为。通过扫描电子显微镜检查在重整甲烷下运行的细胞上银形态的变化。发现在固态氧化物燃料电池（SOFC）电池堆中使用银可以改善电池性能。然而，还得出结论，银可能是细胞降解的原因。该报告汇集并解释了将银用于SOFC的所有已知问题。结果表明，银在互连和阴极环境中不稳定。发现细胞钝化/活化过程促进银迁移。银和密封剂的热膨胀差异会损坏玻璃。结论是，当银暴露于双重大气条件下时，在致密的银互连中会看到大量的孔隙形成。讨论了在SOFC烟囱中使用银的相关性。