In this paper, Nb, NbN, and Nb/NbN thin films were successfully deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel (304 SS) as the bipolar plate (BPP) for proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) by employing a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. Corrosion assessments in simulated PEMFC operating conditions (1 M H2SO4 2 mg/kg HF, 70 °C) revealed that the Nb and NbN coatings significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the 304 SS substrates. The Nb and NbN deposited samples at 350 °C exhibited superior corrosion resistance compared to those coated at 25 °C. Potentiostatic tests were also performed at the constant potentials of 0.644 and ?0.056 V vs. Ag/AgCl to simulate the cathodic and anodic PEMFC conditions, respectively. The minimum current densities were recorded for the Nb coating in both anodic and cathodic conditions. Compared with the 304 SS substrate, all coatings showed lower interfacial contact resistance (ICR) and higher hydrophobicity. Among the tested coatings, the Nb coating exhibited the smallest ICR (9 mΩ·cm2 at 140 N/cm2). The results of this investigation revealed that the Nb and NbN coatings deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on 304 SS can be regarded as promising candidates for BPPs in PEMFCs.
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机译：本文通过采用射频（以下）成功地沉积在AISI 304不锈钢（304SS）上作为双极板（BPP）作为双极板（BPP）的Nb，NbN和Nbn薄膜。通过采用射频（ RF）磁控溅射系统。模拟PEMFC操作条件下的腐蚀评估（1M H 2 SO 4 2mg / kg HF，70°C）显示Nb和Nbn涂层显着提高了304 ss基材的耐腐蚀性。与涂覆在25℃时的那些，Nb和Nbn沉积的样品在350℃下表现出优异的耐腐蚀性。在0.644的恒定电位下也进行电位静脉试验分别以恒定的电位和α056V与Ag / AgCl分别用于模拟阴极和阳极PEMFC条件。在阳极和阴极条件下记录最小电流密度为Nb涂层。与304SS衬底相比，所有涂层显示较低的界面接触电阻（ICR）和更高的疏水性。在测试的涂层中，Nb涂层在140n / cm 2下表现出最小的ICR（9mΩ·cm 2）。该研究的结果表明，RF磁控溅射沉积在304Ss上的Nb和Nbn涂层可以被认为是PEMFC中BPP的有希望的候选者。
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