Corrosion and Interfacial Contact Resistance of NiTi Alloy as a Promising Bipolar Plate for PEMFC

Abstract

Titanium (Ti) is generally considered as an ideal bipolar plate (BPP) material because of its excellent corrosion resistance, good machinability and lightweight nature. However, the easy-passivation property, which leads to increased interfacial contact resistance (ICR) and subsequently decreased cell performance, limits its large-scale commercial application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this paper, we proposed a NiTi alloy prepared by suction casting as a promising bipolar plate for PEMFCs. This NiTi alloy exhibits significantly decreased ICR values (16.8 mΩ cm2 at 1.4 MPa) compared with pure Ti (88.6 mΩ cm2 at 1.4 MPa), along with enhanced corrosion resistance compared with pure nickel (Ni). The superior corrosion resistance of NiTi alloy is accredited to the nobler open circuit potential and corrosion potential, coupled with low corrosion current densities and passive current densities. The improved ICR can be interpreted by the existence of high-proportioned metallic Ni in the passive film, which contributes to the reduced capacitance characteristic of the passive film (compared with Ti) and enhances charge conduction. This work provides a feasible option to ameliorate BPP material that may have desirable corrosion resistance and ICR.