ZrC Coating Modified Ti Bipolar Plate for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

The electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and hydrophobic property of bipolar plate are important factors to affect the overall performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In order to improve the performance of bipolar plate, ZrC coating has been prepared on bare Ti plate by plasma surface modification technology. From the microscopic morphology characterization, it can be found that the surface of ZrC modified plate is smooth without obvious defect. The potentiodynamic polarization and potentiostatic polarization tests are measured in cathodic and anodic environment of PEMFC. The result shows that the corrosion current density of ZrC coated Ti plate decreases by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with bare Ti plate. Moreover, the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) decreases from 110 m omega cm(2)to 7.70 m omega cm(2)under the compaction force of 140 N cm(-2). In addition, the ICR of ZrC coated Ti plate slightly increases after potentiostatic polarization, indicating that a good electrical conductivity and durability is obtained by ZrC coated Ti plate. Furthermore, the ZrC coated Ti plate has a lower water contact angle (105 degrees) than bare Ti plate (76 degrees), indicating a better hydrophobic performance for water management.