Glass/BNNT Composite for Sealing Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

A material consisting of a barium calcium aluminosilicate glass reinforced with 4 weight percent of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) has shown promise for use as a sealant in planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The composition of the glass in question in mole percentages is 35BaO + 15CaO + 5Al2O3 + 10B2O3 + 35SiO2. The glass was formulated to have physical and chemical properties suitable for use as a planar-SOFC sealant, but has been found to be deficient in one aspect: it is susceptible to cracking during thermal cycling of the fuel cells. The goal in formulating the glass/BNNT composite material was to (1) retain the physical and chemical advantages that led to the prior selection of the barium calcium aluminosilicate glass as the sealant while (2) increasing strength and fracture toughness so as to reduce the tendency toward cracking.