Effect of Metal Bipolar Plate Channel Fabrication on Electroplating – Using Nickel Electroplating of AISI 1045 Channel Substrate as an Example

摘要

The surface quality is a very critical factor in the performance of the bipolar plate due to it wouldgreatly affect the contact resistance and the corrosion resistance. In this study, results of aninvestigation on the effects of milling process conditions on the surface roughness and subsequentelectroplating of metallic bipolar plates (BPP) for proton exchange membrane fuel cell are presented.The results of potentiodynamic polarizations show that milling parameters (feed rate and precisionmilling) significantly affect the corrosion behavior of bipolar plates. When the AISI 1045 steel milledat different feed rates without precision milling, the surfaces of the formed BPP channel, generally, arevery rough. It results in lower corrosion resistance compared to the Ni coating on a 1045 plate. Whenan additional precision milling is utilized, the surface smoothness of BPP channel is improved and,thus, the corrosion current density of the Ni coated BPP channel fabricated with precision milling andthe Ni coating on a 1045 plate was shown to be similar. Finally, the chromized BPP channel fabricatedat a feed rate of 100 mm/s with precision milling has good corrosion resistance and interfacial contactresistance. Both satisfy the Department of Energy (DOE) goal for BPP application. The result canserve as reference for future research on channel fabrication.