Novel Ti–Si–C composites for SOFC interconnect materials: Production optimization.

This paper presents a first part of research of designing a new Ti–Si–C-based composite for potential application as a solid oxide fuel cells interconnect material. Spark plasma sintering technique was used for the production and the effects of sintering parameters on microstructure, phase composition, as well as mechanical and electrical properties were investigated. Optimization of the sintering conditions then allowed to obtain a fine-grained material with properties (bending strength 433 MPa, hardness of 9.6 GPa, electrical resistance 26 mΩ cm) surpassing those of Crofer steels, materials typically used in the SOFC interconnect applications nowadays. This is a very promising result, yielding our Ti–Si–C composite a serious candidate for new-generation lightweight interconnect materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]