To study the effect of the composition on the physico-chemical properties of mixed Cu-Mn-Co oxides as SOFC
interconnects coating materials, different compounds have been obtained through a High Energy Ball Milling (HEBM) process. The mechanochemical treatment produces highly activated multi-phase powders that easily react at intermediate temperature to form the equilibrium products. Thermogravimetric, dilatometric and in-situ high temperature analyses allowed to show that
Copper addition promotes cubic spinel stability at low temperature and enhances sintering behaviour.
Dilatometric and conductivity analysis carried out on sintered pellets allowed to obtain simple relations between the materials properties and the composition. Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) and electrical conductivity are increased by Copper doping and high Co:Mn ratios. These findings suggest that the materials characteristics can be opportunely tuned through appropriate composition design, to simultaneously obtain enhanced sintering behaviour, high electrical conductivity and CTE adapted to match the substrate.