Chromium Poisoning in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Mechanisms, Advanced Characterizations, Mitigation, and Recovery Strategies

Abstract Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) directly convert the chemical energy of gaseous fuels (e.g., hydrogen and hydrocarbons) into electricity through electrochemical reactions. However, the chromium (Cr)‐containing interconnects in stacks often lead to Cr poisoning, which significantly affects their performance and durability. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the research on the mechanism of Cr poisoning and its mitigation strategies. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest research progress and elaborately discusses the deposition mechanism of Cr on the electrode surface and its influencing factors through various characterization techniques, revealing the fundamental causes of performance degradation. Furthermore, this review discusses some strategies for enhancing anti‐Cr performance, such as material design and application of Cr getters, etc., and introduces three emerging performance recovery strategies applicable after cell poisoning, including electrochemical cleaning, chemical cleaning, and surface acid/base regulation. This review offers theoretical support for understanding and mitigating Cr‐related degradation and is expected to guide future developments in the construction of high‐performance and high‐durability SOFC systems.