Corrosion Resistance and Conductivity of Ta-Nb-N-Coated 316L Stainless Steel as Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Source abstract
Abstract
The large-scale application of stainless steel (SS) bipolar plates (BPs) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is mainly limited by insufficient corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity. In this work, Ta-Nb-N coatings were prepared on 316L SS substrates by unbalanced magnetron sputtering to improve corrosion resistance and conductivity. The Ta-Nb-N coatings had a dense structure without obvious defects. In simulated PEMFC cathode environments consisting of 0.5 M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF at 70 ± 0.5 °C, which is harsher than the U.S. Department of Energy specification, the corrosion current density of Ta-Nb-N-coated BPs was reduced to 2.2 × 10−2 μA·cm−2. Ta-Nb-N-coated samples showed better electrical conductivity than 316L SS, which had an excellent interfacial contact resistance of 9.2 mΩ·cm2. In addition, the Ta-Nb-N-coated samples had a water contact angle of 100.7°, showing good hydrophobicity for water management. These results indicate that Ta-Nb-N coatings could be a promising material for BPs.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Fuel Cells and Related Materials · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Chaozhou Branch of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Chaozhou 521000, China
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Hubei Technology Innovation Center for Advanced Composites, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430070, China
Funding
Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research · Self-Innovation Research Funding Project of Hanjiang Laboratory · Major Science and Technology Project in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province · National Natural Science Foundation of China · International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China · Technological Innovation of Hubei Province
References (49)
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