Silver implanted 316L stainless steel as bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

▶ Ion implantation decreases the thickness of the passive layer and the silver-rich layer is about 45 nm thick. ▶ The corrosion resistance and polarization resistance are improved by the silver-rich surface layer which is chemically stable in the simulated PEMFC cathode environment. ▶ Silver ion implantation decreases the ICR of SS316L substantially due to reduction in the passive layer thickness and increased amounts of silver and nickel. ▶ Introduction of silver by ion implantation can improve the performance of stainless steel bipolar plates while needing a small dose of silver compared to other coating methods.