Spinel oxides with the general formula of MnCuxCo2-xO4 (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 respectively) are used as coating materials on the metallic interconnect SUS 430 alloy to reduce the cathodic performance degradation by Cr poisoning and the interfacial resistance to improve the surface stability. The effect of Cu doping at the B position of spinel on the electrical conductivity and coefficient of temperature expansion (CTE) is investigated to determine the oxidation behavior and effectiveness as a protective layer. The result confirms that MnCu0.5Co0.5O4 spinel shows highest electrical conductivity of 105.46 S cm(-1) at 750 degrees C in air and an average CTE value of 12.27 x 10(-6) K-1 at temperature range of 20-960 degrees C. MnCu0.5Co1.5O4 coating is stable enough after 2000 h cyclic oxidation at 750 degrees C. The growth of Cr2O3 and formation of MnCr2O4 in the scale layer are effectively suppressed by the presence of MnCu0.5Co1.5O4 coating. The oxidation kinetics obeys the parabolic law with a rate constant as low as 2.76 x 10(-15) g(2) cm(-4).s(-1) and the ASR contributed by the oxide scale is 8.04 m Omega cm(2) at 750 degrees C. The research indicates that MnCu0.5Co1.5O4 is a promising coating material for metallic interconnects of the intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.