Development of novel Nb and Ta multilayer coatings for corrosion protection of Ti-based bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Mohammadhossein Johar, Leila Moradizadeh, Abhay Gupta, Yasin Mehdizadeh Chellehbari, Xianguo Li, Samaneh Shahgaldi
Abstract
Proper coatings are required to prevent the corrosion of metallic bipolar plates (BPPs) and to decrease the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between the BPP and the adjacent components in the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This study explored the role of Nb/Ta multilayer coatings in enhancing the anti-corrosion properties of titanium BPPs for utilization in PEMFCs. Comprehensive electrochemical and physical analyses showed that multilayer coatings (Nb/Ta) led to superior electrochemical stability, obtaining corrosion current density lower than 1.0 μA.cm −2 , and low ICR. Results met the 2025 technical target for BPPs in PEMFCs set by the U.S. Department of Energy. • Development of multilayer Nb/Ta coatings on the Ti-based bipolar plate for PEMFC. • Investigation of corrosion protection mechanism of Nb/Ta multilayer coatings. • Comparing single-layer and multilayer coatings in the same operational conditions. • Meeting DOE targets with multilayer Nb/Ta coating on Ti-based bipolar plates.