CORROSION BEHAVIORS AND INTERFACIAL CONTACT RESISTANCE (ICR) ON TiN AND CrN COATINGS ON 316L STAINLESS STEEL FOR PEMFC BIPOLAR PLATE

摘要

In a fuel cell stack, a bipolar plate is a key element as it accounts for over 50% of the total cost of the stack. In order to realize economic feasibility of the fuel cell, there is a need to lower the cost of bipolar plate. However, the fabrication of traditional non-porous graphite is so difficult and expensive due to its brittleness that alternatives, which have a reasonable cost and suitable properties for PEMFC, should be developed. This study is concerned with 316L stainless steel (SS316L) coated with nitrides such as TiN and CrN by physical vapor deposition (PVD) as the alternative materials for the replacement of graphite. The electrochemical test methods and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) were used to investigate the possibility of the future bipolar plate materials for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC).