Component constituting an HTE electrolyser interconnector or SOFC fuel cell interconnector and associated production processes

A process for preparing a fuel cell (SOFC) or a high-temperature electrolyzer (HTE), comprising the following steps:

• a/ preparing a substrate made of metal alloy, of chromia-forming type, the base element of which is iron (Fe) or nickel (Ni), the substrate having two main flat faces;
• b/ coating one of the flat faces of the substrate with a thick ceramic layer in a green state and coating the other flat face of the substrate with a thick metallic layer in a green state;
• c/ grooving the thick ceramic layer and the thick metallic layer so as to delimit channels that are suitable for distributing and/or collecting gases;
• and
• d/ forming a stack of elementary electrolysis cells each formed from a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte intercalated between the cathode and the anode;
• wherein:
• to prepare an HTE reactor, the thick grooved ceramic layer in a green state is in contact with the anode of one of two adjacent elementary cells, and the thick grooved metallic layer in a green state is in contact with the cathode of the other of the two adjacent elementary cells;
• or
• to prepare an SOFC, the thick grooved ceramic layer in a green state is in contact with the cathode of one of two adjacent elementary cells, and the thick grooved metallic layer in a green state is in contact with the anode of the other of the two adjacent elementary cells;
• e/ applying a compression force to the stack of elementary electrolysis cells to form the HTE reactor or SOFC, wherein the compression force causes one or more ceramic layer and/or metallic layer to be deformed such that any imperfections between the elementary electrolysis cells in the stack are compensated for by the deformation of the layer;
• and
• f/ obtaining an HTE reactor or SOFC.