The passivation behaviour of copper-containing high-performance ferritic stainless steels in the cathode environment of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

摘要

The passivation behaviour of copper-containing high-performance ferritic stainless steels in the cathode environment of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells was investigated using electrochemical tests and XPS surface analyses. The addition of copper to the alloy deteriorated the corrosion resistance at a passive region of 0.6 V_(SCE). With an increase of the copper content, the passivity of the alloy degraded due to an increase of the formation of Cr-containing inclusions, and a decrease of the Cr oxide and hydroxide in the passive film.