Ferritic stainless steels (16-18 wt.% Cr) can be used as interconnects for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that operate at lower temperatures, i.e., <800degreesC. Long-term reliability is a concern; however, as oxidation of the steel can occur readily at elevated temperatures leading to the formation of Cr2O3 and Cr-Mn spinel ((CrMn)(3)O-4). The aim of this work was to reduce oxide growth, in particular, the Cr2O3 phase, through the application of Y/Co and Ce/Co sol-gel coatings. Oxide growth was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Coatings containing Y/Co provided the best resistance, producing Cr2O3 oxide layers more than 3 times thinner than for uncoated steels. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.