Low-Cost and Durable Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers.

ABSTRACT: Cost reduction and high efficiency are the mayor challenges for sustainable H₂ production via proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Titanium-based components such as bipolar plates (BPP) have the largest contribution to the capital cost. This work proposes the use of stainless steel BPPs coated with Nb and Ti by magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) and vacuum plasma spraying (VPS), respectively. The physical properties of the coatings are thoroughly characterized by scanning electron, atomic force microscopies (SEM, AFM); and X-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopies (XRD, XPS). The Ti coating (50 μm) protects the stainless steel substrate against corrosion, while a 50-fold thinner layer of Nb decreases the contact resistance by almost one order of m

SUBMITTER: Lettenmeier P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5353588 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature