Low temperature deposition of dense MnCo2O4 protective coatings for steel interconnects of solid oxide cells

In this work manganese cobalt spinel (MnCo2O4) coatings were deposited on steel substrates by spray pyrolysis at 390 °C. This is at much lower temperatures than previously reported (typically in excess of 900 °C). It was possible to produce coatings with well controlled thickness (2-5-10 μm). The as-deposited coatings were evaluated for their microstructural changes and electrical conductivity up to 800 °C. Results confirm the formation of a single phase spinel with high density and electrical conductivity. Based on the obtained results, it might be concluded that spray pyrolysis is a very promising method to develop protective coatings for steel substrates at low temperatures overcoming limitations of many other methods.