Interconnects in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks are
commonly made of ferritic stainless steel [1]. It is a promising
interconnect material because it has a low cost, good formability,
high electrical and thermal conductivity and low ionic conductivity
[1,2]. Ferritic stainless steels rely on the formation of an outer
chromium oxide (Cr2O3) scale to protect it against further attack in
the highly corrosive SOFC environment [2]. It is currently not
possible to use water vapour containing cathode air and ferritic
stainless steels without surface modification due to two issues. (I)
At the high operating temperatures of the SOFC stack, chromium
can be oxidized to volatile Crþ6 species, e.g. CrO2(OH)2. These volatile
species can deposit in the cathode where they cause degradation,
a phenomenon known as chromium poisoning [3,4]. (II) The
electrical losses in the systems increase unacceptably fast because
oxide scales with a poor electrical conductivity form on the inter