Investigation on electrochemical behavior and surface conductivity of titanium carbide modified Ti bipolar plate of PEMFC

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy 2020-03, Vol.45 (16), p.10050-10058
• Main Authors: Shi, Jiefu, Zhang, Pengchao, Han, Yuetong, Wang, Hongyu, Wang, Xinyu, Yu, Yingshui, Sun, Juncai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Corrosion resistance; Interfacial contact resistance; PEMFC; Ti bipolar plate; TiC modified layer
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.01.203

The titanium carbide (TiC) modified layer is prepared by plasma surface modification technology on the surface of Ti plate (TA1) to meet the performance requirements of bipolar plate of PEMFC. The microstructure characterization confirms that a compact and defectless TiC modified layer is formed on the surface of Ti bipolar plate. The corrosion current density of TiC modified plate in simulated PEMFC environment is reduced by approximately an order of magnitude and the self-corrosion potential is significantly improved compared with bare Ti plate. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of TiC modified plate (7.5 mΩ cm2, under loading pressure of 140 N) is evidently lower than bare Ti plate (98.1 mΩ cm2). Even after potentiostatic polarization, the ICR of TiC modified plate still remains at satisfactory values. Furthermore, the contact angle of TiC modified plate reaches a higher value of 112°, which is beneficial to the water discharge of PEMFC. •The TiC layer was prepared on Ti bipolar plate by plasma surface modification method.•The TiC modified bipolar plate exhibits an excellent corrosion resistance.•The TiC modified layer greatly improves the surface conductivity of Ti bipolar plate.