Development of Novel Coating on Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Application
Authors: Shahgaldi Samaneh , Singh Aditya 
Published: February 2024

Considering the demand for a more environmentally friendly system, renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as wind and solar power are regarded as a promising substitute for fossil fuels in the generation of electricity. Since these energy sources exhibit intermittency and unpredictability, there is a need to develop a highly efficient and rapidly responsive energy conversion system for the purpose of storing this energy as a chemical fuel. Due to their ability to manage the variability of intermittent energy sources, proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) are garnering considerable interest. However, their broad commercial adoption is hindered by their relatively modest performance and elevated costs. PEM electrolysis is a promising technology for generating substantial quantities of hydrogen from surplus electricity generated by renewable sources. Nonetheless, the expense of the electrolyzer stack arises primarily from the metallic bipolar plates, because it possesses heavy weight and expensive precious metal coatings. Significant efforts have been performed on the development of titanium-based bipolar plates, but it has high base material and fabrication cost. In recent years, there has been a substantial focus on stainless steel bipolar plates for PEM electrolyzer application. Stainless steel can serve as an alternative, but it requires a coating to enhance its anti-corrosion properties. Electroplated chromium coatings exhibit favorable mechanical characteristics and find extensive application in precision mechanical components such as molds and surgical instruments. Their outstanding wear resistance, high hardness, impressive corrosion resistance, and glossy finish make them appropriate for many other applications, including both decorative and functional coatings. As a result, chromium electroplating has emerged as one of the most extensively employed techniques within the electroplating sector. The dense pack chromium layer is prepared on a 316L stainless steel substrate to enhance the anti-corrosion property and electronic conductivity.

Herein, the role of gold striking underlayer, and thick chromium coating is studied for preparing the anti-corrosive stainless steel bipolar plates. First, a gold striking film as an underlayer on the stainless-steel substrate is electroplated to passivate the chromium-based oxides. Further, a thick and dense chromium layer is deposited on the gold underlayer by electroplating. The electroplating bath is operated using platinized titanium felt as an anode and 316L stainless steel as a working electrode without the separation of anodic and cathodic compartments. The electroplating solution is consisting of Cr (VI) oxide and H2SO4 (pH = 2). The nanocrystalline chromium coating with a thickness of approximately 2 µm is bright and uniform. Furthermore, gold as a protective layer of thickness approximately 1 µm is coated by electroplating on the chromium surface. The Cr and Au/Cr coatings are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) analysis. Subsequently, the protective layer-coated substrates were analyzed in a simulated PEM electrolyzer environment, and these coatings facilitated promising protective properties on the stainless-steel substrate. The corrosion testing was carried out in 0.5 M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF solution at 70 0C purged with oxygen. The stable passive film and high corrosion resistance were obtained by gold striking underlayer and chromizing the 316L stainless steel substrate. As a result, the potentiodynamic polarization analysis showed the corrosion current density of 0.84 µA/cm2 for the Au/Cr-Au underlayer sample in a simulated operating environment. In contrast, the absence of the gold striking underlayer between Cr and stainless steel causes the pitting corrosion. The Au/Cr coating is tested in an acidic corrosion media for a long duration of 24 hours and it showed lower degradation as compared to without gold striking underlayer and without Cr film. The findings presented in this study illustrate the feasibility of employing stainless steel as the foundational material for the bipolar plate of a PEM electrolyzer.