Effect of Al₂O₃ addition on the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and long-term stability of BCABS sealing glass for IT-SOFCs

Owing to adjustable thermal expansion performance, BaO–CaO–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃–SiO₂ (BCABS) glass has a promising commercialization prospect for intermediate temperature-solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) sealing. Herein, Al₂O₃ with two different contents was added into the same glass formulation, referred to as A and B glass, respectively. In terms of the non-isothermal crystallization kinetic behavior, the effect of Al₂O₃ as the unique intermediate was innovatively studied on the long-term performance of BCABS sealing glass. After the heat treatment at 1023 K for 100 h, the change of the network structure and the expansion coefficient of the glass were characterized. The results showed that the addition of Al₂O₃ as a network forming body could enhance the structure of glass, and increase the activation energy for glass transition, which could effectively inhibit the crystallization ability of sealing glass. Therefore, the B glass with the higher Al₂O₃ content showed the better long-term sealing ability, which was greatly beneficial for IT-SOFCs sealing.