The characteristics and performance of AISI 1045 steel bipolar plates with chromized coatings for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The purpose of this study is to produce an anti-corrosive and highly conductive coating on 1045 steel using a rolling pretreatment along with low-temperature pack chromization. The results indicated that a uniform and dense chromized coating was successfully formed on the steel. The main constituent phases of the coating were carbides and the minor phases were chromium–ferric nitrides and oxides. The modified steel plates were used as metal bipolar plates (BPPs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and their performance was compared with that of conventional graphite BPPs. The contact angle of water on the rolled-chromized steel BPPs was 98.3°. In addition, the power density of the single cells assembled with rolled-chromized steel BPPs was 0.51 W cm−2, comparable to those with graphite (0.50 W cm−2), in the test conditions of this study.