Evaluation of anticorrosion and contact resistance behavior of poly(orthophenylenediamine)- coated 316L SS bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

The present work was focused on the corrosion properties and contact resistance behavior of poly(orthophenlyenediamine) (PoPD) coating on 316L SS bipolar plates. To reduce the corrosion rate and increase the interfacial conductivity of 316L SS bipolar plates, PoPD coating was deposited using an electropolymerization technique by the various monomer concentration of orthophenlyenediamine (oPD) on its surface. The presence of 1, 2, 4, 5- tetra substituted benzene nuclei of phenazine units in the polymer coating was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis has confirmed the (%) of chemical composition in PoPD coating. The results of scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the uniform and compact coating with complete cover on 316L SS. The corrosion properties were investigated in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 2 ppm HF solution at 80 °C. The polarization test results showed that the PoPD coating reduced the corrosion current density both in the PEMFC anode and cathode environments. The charge transfer resistance values were in the order of 316L SS ˂ 0.02 M PoPD ˂ 0.06 M PoPD ˂ 0.04 M PoPD. A very low interfacial contact resistance and good adhesion strength was observed for 0.04 M PoPD coating. The higher contact angle of 0.04 M PoPD coating explained the hydrophobic property and more benefit of water management in the PEMFC environment. The results of the analysis of total metal ion releases clearly explained that the low level of metal ions released for 0.04 M PoPD coating. The overall studies revealed the PoPD coating with optimized 0.04 M oPD concentration showed best performance and provided more anodic protection to 316L SS bipolar plates.