Abstract
High cost and low electrochemical stability of the interconnection in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) in the presence of H2SO4 are one of the main issues hindering the commercialization of these devices. This manuscript presents the utilization of cost-effective steel in an attempt to minimize the PEMFC interconnection costs with a thin-film solid oxide coating (TFSOC) providing sufficient corrosion resistance for efficient long-term operation. Novel Ti0.50-y/2Si0.50-y/2Nby1,2O2 as TFSOC was deposited on the C45E steel as a metal interconnect utilizing a sol–gel process at various annealing temperatures. The analysis of the phase and surface morphology demonstrates that lower annealing temperatures developed nanometric crystallite size of 68 nm, more uniform structure and higher corrosion resistance. Under standard test conditions, the TFSOC demonstrated high polarization resistance (1.3 kΩ cm2) even after 720 hours (h). Electrical conductivity of the TFSOC as low as 1.4 × 10−2 (Ω m)−1 and activation energy of 0.20 eV were achieved, which helps to maintain the PEMFC output power.
Highlights
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are getting significant attention with the growing need for renewable energy and are expected to play a key role in the energy economy that is aiming for a green energy future [1]
The PEMFC interconnector (PEMFCI), known as the flow field or separator is a vital component of PEMFC stack both in terms of weight and cost of the PEMFC encompassing about 80% of the total weight and 45% of the production cost of the stack [5]
The results indicate that the decomposition process of dried gel occurs in three steps
Summary
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are getting significant attention with the growing need for renewable energy and are expected to play a key role in the energy economy that is aiming for a green energy future [1]. Some TFSOC such as graphene/TiO2 [29] chitosan-tin oxide composite film [30], Ta2O5 [31], Nb-TiO2 [32], SnO2 [33], FTO [34], Cr2O3/C [35], PbO2 [36] and Zn-Ni-Al2O3 [37] have been investigated These coatings have shown promising results in PEMFCMI applications due to their high performance as efficient corrosion inhibitors. We focused on producing a cost-effective and environmental sustainable anti-corrosive TFSOC with long-term stability for use in PEMFCMI applications For this purpose, Ti0.50-y/2Si0.50-y/2Nby1,2O2 (TiSiNb) as TFSOC were deposited via a sol–gel process on C45E steel substrates.
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