Korrosion von Bipolarplatten in PEM-Elektrolyseuren und Brennstoffzellen

FEM (proton-exchange-membrane) fuel cells are being developed for automotive applications. For hydrogen filling stations, PEM-electrolyzers can be applied. One component of these devices is the bipolar plate. For mobile fuel cells, they consist typically of stainless steel and for electrolyzers of titanium. In operation, they oxidise with formation ofpassivation layers. These increase the contact resistance, which reduces the efficiency of the devices. Corrosion protective coatings can avoid this problem. Besides the question of production of such coatings, also their characterization has to be discussed. For that, preferably electrochemical methods are applied.