Anticorrosion properties of tin oxide coatings for carbonaceous bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

An anticorrosive surface treatment of a carbonaceous bipolar plate used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was demonstrated by addition of a tin oxide surface coating by liquid phase deposition (LPD), and its effectiveness toward corrosion prevention was determined. The tin oxide coating was deposited by immersion in tin fluoride and boric acid solutions, without any observable decrease in the bipolar plate electrical conductivity. Anticorrosion properties of a flat carbonaceous bipolar plate were investigated in an aqueous HClO4 electrolyte solution (10 μmol dm−3) at 80 °C. CO2 release due to corrosion was significant for the bare specimen above 1.3 V, whereas no CO2 release was noted for the tin-oxide-coated specimen, even approaching 1.5 V. Moreover, minimal changes in contact angle against a water droplet before and after treatment indicated suppressed corrosion of the surface-coated specimen. Anticorrosion properties were also confirmed for a model bipolar plate having four gas flow channels. The tin oxide layer remained on the channel surfaces (inner walls, corners and intersections) after durability tests. Based on these results, tin-oxide-based surface coatings fabricated by LPD show promise as an anticorrosion technique for carbonaceous bipolar plates for PEMFCs.