Abstract
Doped-$LaCrO_3$ perovskites, because of their good electrical conductivity and thermal stability in oxidizing and/or reducing environments, are used in high temperature solid oxide fuel cells as a gas-tight and electrically conductive interconnection layer. In this study, perovskite $(La_{0.8}Ca_{0.2})(Cr_{0.9}Co_{0.1})O_3$ (LCCC) coatings manufactured by atmospheric plasma spraying followed by heat treatment at $1200^{\circ}C$ have been investigated in terms of microstructural defects, gas tightness and electrical conductivity. The plasma-sprayed LCCC coating formed an inhomogeneous layered structure after the successive deposition of fully-melted liquid droplets and/or partially-melted droplets. Micro-sized defects including unfilled pores, intersplat pores and micro-cracks in the plasma-sprayed LCCC coating were connected together and allowed substantial amounts gas to pass through the coating. Subsequent heat treatment at $1200^{\circ}C$ formed a homogeneous granule microstructure with a small number of isolated pores, providing a substantial improvement in the gas-tightness of the LCCC coating. The electrical conductivity of the LCCC coating was consequently enhanced due to the complete elimination of inter-splat pores and micro-cracks, and reached 53 S/cm at $900^{\circ}C$.